Plants and the K-T Boundary

Description

In this text, two of the world's leading experts in palynology and paleobotany provide a comprehensive account of the fate of land plants during the 'great extinction' about 65 million years ago. They describe how the time boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene Periods (the K-T boundary) is recognised in the geological record, and how fossil plants can be used to understand global events of that time. There are case studies from over 100 localities around the world, including North America, China, Russia and New Zealand. The book concludes with an evaluation of possible causes of the K-T boundary event and its effects on floras of the past and present. This book is written for researchers and students in paleontology, botany, geology and Earth history, and everyone who has been following the course of the extinction debate and the K-T boundary paradigm shift.

Review of the hardback: '...a superb discussion on what the plant record tells us about the causes of the mass extinction across the boundary.' Bulletin of the British Ecological Society Review of the hardback: '... a sound, clearly written and well-documented book ... The authors, a palynologist and paleobotanist, have done a great service to the scientific community in bringing together the many lines of evidence ... to provide a clear and detailed picture of the nature of the plant life at the close of the Cretaceous and the beginning of the Paleogene. ... We recommend this book to all who take an interest in the geologic history of our Earth.' Newsletter of the AASP (The Palynological Society) Review of the hardback: '... this book is an important contribution to the literature of both palaeobotany and palynology and is of interest to any plant scientist concerned with the capacity of the terrestrial flora to respond to major environmental change.' Annals of Botany