title: Plant ecological strategies shift across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.
abstract: The Chicxulub bolide impact caused the end-Cretaceous mass extinction of plants, but the associated selectivity and ecological effects are poorly known. Using a unique set of North Dakota leaf fossil assemblages spanning 2.2 Myr across the event, we show among angiosperms a reduction of ecological strategies and selection for fast-growth strategies consistent with a hypothesized recovery from an impact winter. Leaf mass per area (carbon investment) decreased in both mean and variance, while vein density (carbon assimilation rate) increased in mean, consistent with a shift towards "fast" growth strategies. Plant extinction from the bolide impact resulted in a shift in functional trait space that likely had broad consequences for ecosystem functioning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America; Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gothic, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blonder
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors.forename: Dana L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Royer
authors.affiliation: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kirk R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America; Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gothic, Colorado, United States of America; The Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States of America.
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Enquist
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D017753:Ecosystem; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D005580:Fossils / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009658:North Dakota; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon