生物集群灭绝
脊椎动物
生物扩散
消光(光学矿物学)
古近纪
生物
生态学
克莱德
生物多样性
白垩纪
古生物学
动物
进化生物学
系统发育学
基因
社会学
人口学
生物化学
人口
作者
Catherine B. Klein,Davide Pisani,Daniel J. Field,Rebecca Lakin,Matthew A. Wills,Nicholas R. Longrich
标识
DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-25136-y
摘要
Abstract Mass extinctions have repeatedly shaped global biodiversity. The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction caused the demise of numerous vertebrate groups, and its aftermath saw the rapid diversification of surviving mammals, birds, frogs, and teleost fishes. However, the effects of the K-Pg extinction on the evolution of snakes—a major clade of predators comprising over 3,700 living species—remains poorly understood. Here, we combine an extensive molecular dataset with phylogenetically and stratigraphically constrained fossil calibrations to infer an evolutionary timescale for Serpentes. We reveal a potential diversification among crown snakes associated with the K-Pg mass extinction, led by the successful colonisation of Asia by the major extant clade Afrophidia. Vertebral morphometrics suggest increasing morphological specialisation among marine snakes through the Paleogene. The dispersal patterns of snakes following the K-Pg underscore the importance of this mass extinction event in shaping Earth’s extant vertebrate faunas.
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