KT/K-Pg Extinction Aided new Groups Taking to the Water

K-Pg events facilitated lineage transitions between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Authors:

Proches et al

Abstract:

We use dated phylogenetic trees for tetrapod vertebrates to identify lineages that shifted between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in terms of feeding or development, and to assess the timing of such events. Both stem and crown lineage ages indicate a peak in transition events in correspondence with the K-Pg mass extinction. This meets the prediction that changes in competitive pressure and resource availability following mass extinction events should facilitate such transitions.