Modern Birds came from Non-Arboreal Chicxulub Survivors

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In summary, the paper discusses the origins of modern birds and how they have evolved over time. The paper discusses the effects of the end-Cretaceous extinction on bird populations and how all modern bird groups were derived from non-arboreal survivors of the event. The paper also discusses how palynology can be used to study past vegetation changes.
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BillTre
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Here is a new paper (open access) on the origins of modern birds.
Birds evolved from dinosaurs and are the only survivors of the dinosaurs, which went extinct after the Chicxulub impact devastated ecology worldwide.
Trees were wiped out so arboreal birds lost their environment and went extinct.
All modern birds were derived from non-arboreal birds that survived the Chicxulub impact.

Paper Highlights:
  • The end-Cretaceous mass extinction devastated forest habitats globally
  • Tree-dwelling birds failed to persist across the end-Cretaceous extinction event
  • All bird groups that survived the end-Cretaceous extinction were non-arboreal
  • The early ancestors of many modern tree-dwelling bird groups were ground-dwelling
 
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Thousand year resolution on a 65-70 Ma event? The palynological data?
 
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There are areas with very good time resolution for sediments due to rapid deposition resulting in thick layers per time.
They also have a very distinct layer (with world wide distribution) of a variety of material directly related to the impact, such as iridium and solidified micro-droplets of melted rock from the impact.

A few years ago, I read about how someone figured out which season the impact occurred in based on these layers and the pollen or spores or somethin like that in China.

Bystander said:
The palynological data?
Is this the same as paleontological?
 
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BillTre said:
same as paleontological?
"Palyn" equals pollen layers/layering.
 
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OK thanks for informing me!
 
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@BillTre have look at varves - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varve They are preserved (when fossilized) as evidence of glaciers and vegetation changes (annual pollen deposits from fairly old formations of sedimentary rock) The picture on the page shows Pleistocene varves.

They also are found in modern deposits.
 
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Here is a Science magazine news article on this publication.
 
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What is the Chicxulub impact event?

The Chicxulub impact event was a large asteroid impact that occurred approximately 66 million years ago in what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It is thought to be the cause of the mass extinction event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

What is the theory about modern birds evolving from non-arboreal Chicxulub survivors?

The theory suggests that some bird species survived the Chicxulub impact event and subsequent mass extinction due to their ability to live in non-arboreal (ground-dwelling) habitats. These surviving birds then evolved and adapted to fill the ecological niches left by the extinct dinosaurs, leading to the diversity of modern birds we see today.

How is this theory supported by scientific evidence?

There is evidence of non-arboreal birds existing before the Chicxulub impact event, such as the fossil record of ground-dwelling birds in the late Cretaceous period. Additionally, genetic studies have shown that modern birds share a common ancestor that lived around the time of the impact event, supporting the idea that they evolved from survivors of the event.

What challenges or criticisms does this theory face?

One challenge to this theory is that the fossil record of birds from the time of the impact event is incomplete, making it difficult to fully understand the impact of the event on bird populations. Additionally, some researchers argue that the diversity of modern bird species may have been influenced by other factors, such as climate change.

How does this theory impact our understanding of bird evolution and the history of life on Earth?

If this theory is correct, it would mean that modern birds are direct descendants of dinosaurs, providing further evidence for the evolutionary relationship between birds and dinosaurs. It also sheds light on the resilience and adaptability of birds as a species, and their important role in shaping the biodiversity of our planet.

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