UW Researchers Study Plant Recovery Following Mass Extinction of Dinosaurs

Researchers at the University of Wyoming are traveling back in time to study a mass extinction event that occurred 66 million years ago by using clues from the fossil record. According to the UW Extension Office, their goal is to better understand how and when life rebounded after a meteor wiped out 75 percent of species on Earth.

UW reports that the five-year study is part of a multidisciplinary effort led by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and funded by a nearly $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Seven collaborating research institutions, including multiple universities and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, are involved in the project.

As research findings become available, they will be shared with the public through museum exhibits, classroom presentations and other outreach events.

The study will focus primarily on the collection and analysis of plant fossils from the Denver Basin and Williston Basin, according to UW professor and paleobotanist Ellen Currano. 

Currano said they have a good understanding of how old the rocks are in these basins, which will allow them to understand the amount of time the different phases of recovery took.

Currano explains that they are studying plants because plants form the base of terrestrial ecosystems, and all other life relies on plants for food and habitat. 

She said that if they are going to understand how life on land recovered after the bolide impact that killed off the dinosaurs and approximately 75 percent of all species, they need to understand what was going on with the plants.

In addition to offering clues about the evolution of modern plants and animals, studying past extinctions can provide insight into extinctions occurring today. 

Currano said in the larger scheme of things, her research agenda is to understand how ancient forests responded to abrupt environmental changes, with the hope that they can apply what they learn to the present day.

When the NSF project concludes, she hopes to expand her research to new sites in Wyoming.