WhatKilledtheDinosaurs?

AnewreportrevealsthatmorethananasteroidwipedoutEarthsformerrulers
JUL30,2014|ByCameronKeadywithTIMEReporting

PlanetEarthwouldbeascaryplaceforhumansifdinosaursstillruledthe
world.ThoughtherearestillsometracesoflifefromtheJurassicperiod,
likecertainmollusksandtypesofreptiles,theAgeofDinosaursendedmore
than65millionyearsago.Dinosaursandmanyothercreaturesdiedoff,
nevertoreturnagain.

ThismassextinctionisbelievedtobetheresultofanasteroidhittingEarth.
AnewreportbythejournalBiologicalReviewscalledTheExtinctionof
Dinosaursconcludesthatthisimpactwas,indeed,thecauseofthe
dinosaursdemise.Butthespaceblastwasnttheonlyreasonthese
creaturesarentstillaroundtoday.

DEAGOSTINIGETTYIMAGES ABreakintheFoodChain
DrasticclimatechangesmadeEarthadifficultplacefordinosaurstosurvive.
Dinosaursdependedoneachothertosurvive.Meateatingmonsterslike
theTyrannosaurusRexwereatthetopofthefoodchain,andfedoffofplanteaterslikethehornedTriceratops.Theseherbivoreswere
decreasinginpopulationatthetimeoftheasteroid,whichleftthecarnivorousspecieslessfoodtosurviveon.Inanyecosystemwhereyou
removelinkstokeyspecies,thatcommunityhasproblems,RichardButler,oneofthereviewsauthors,toldNationalGeographic.

Whiletheherbivorepopulationwasgoingdown,Earthstemperatureswererising.Yearsbeforetheimpact,theplanetbeganexperiencinga
periodofvolcanism.Theseeruptionscausedclimatechangesthataffectedbothdinosaurandplantlife,andfurtherdisruptedthefoodchain.
Hotvaporsandgasemittedbythevolcanoesbeganwipingoutsomeofthedinosaurpopulationandweakeningthesurvivors.

DeadlyClimateChanges

Theseenvironmentalfactorsmadetheasteroidsimpactespeciallypowerful.Itcausedmorevolcanoestoerupt,heatedupEarth's
atmosphere,andledtoasharpdropinthelevelofoxygenintheoceans.Foranalreadyweakpopulation,dinosaurswerehelplessatthe
timeofcollision.Iftheasteroidhitafewmillionyearsearlier,whendinosaursweremorediverse,orafewmillionyearslater,whentheyhad
achancetorecoverastheyoftenhaddonebeforeafterdiversitylosses,thendinosaursprobablywouldnthavegoneextinct,said
UniversityofEdinburghpaleontologistandevolutionarybiologistStephenBrusatte,wholedthestudy.

Theancientcollisiontriggeredmorethanathousandyearsofdestruction.Withthedinosaursgone,mammalsbegantoevolveintobigger
andmorediversespecies.Manyanimalsweseetoday,likebirds,sharks,andevensomecatsanddogs,emergedaftertheasteroid.But
noneruletheEarthquitelikethedinosaursdid.

BacktoArticle