Diversification of angiosperm reproductive strategies predated the end-Cretaceous extinction

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Lee, Jaemin; Contreras, Dori L.; Saulsbury, James G.; Upchurch, Garland R.; Looy, Cindy V.
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California Berkeley; University of California System; University of California Berkeley; University of Kansas; University of Colorado System; University of Colorado Boulder
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adw9457
• 发表日期: 2026-06-25
• 页码: 1380-1383
• 关键词: SEED SIZE; DISPERSAL SYNDROMES; mass; hypotheses; diversity; dominance; origins; forests; record; fruits

摘要

Angiosperm reproductive evolution is traditionally linked to the end-Cretaceous biotic crisis and subsequent ecological restructuring. Here, we report diverse and unexpectedly large diaspores (dispersal units) from an in situ late Campanian (74.6 million years ago) tropical forest from the Jose Creek Formation in New Mexico. Nearly 80 distinct diaspore morphotypes demonstrate that the flora had increased morphological specialization and an exceptionally large average and range of diaspore volume comparable to the Cenozoic records. These findings suggest that substantial increases in reproductive investment and specialization preceded the end-Cretaceous extinction. Our results indicate that Cretaceous angiosperms had already evolved diverse dispersal strategies, suggesting that animal-mediated dispersal and dense, angiosperm-integrated canopies were established far earlier than was previously recognized.