Scientists analyse late cretaceous dinosaur-dominated ecosystem

[FfFfFfFF 58,072]

 A topic of considerable interest to paleontologists is how dinosaur-dominated ecosystems were structured, how dinosaurs and co-occurring animals were distributed across the landscape, how they interacted with one another, and how these systems compared to ecosystems today. In the Late Cretaceous (~100-66 million years ago), North America was bisected into western and eastern landmasses by a shallow inland sea. 

Yet, from this record, an unexpected pattern has been identified: Most individual basins preserve an abundant and diverse assemblage of dinosaur species, often with multiple groups of co-occurring large (moose- to elephant-sized) herbivorous species, yet few individual species occur across multiple putatively contemporaneous geological formations (despite them often being less than a few hundred kilometers apart). This is in fairly stark contrast to the pattern seen in modern terrestrial mammal communities, where large-bodied species often have very extensive, often continent-spanning ranges. It has therefore been suggested that dinosaurs (and specifically large herbivorous dinosaurs) were particularly sensitive to environmental differences over relatively small geographic distances (particularly with respect to distance from sea level), and may have even segregated their use of the landscape between more coastal and inland sub-habitats within their local ranges.

In their new study published in Geology, Thomas Cullen and colleagues sought to test some of these hypotheses as part of their broader research reconstructing the paleoecology of Late Cretaceous systems. 

One of the methods they're using to do that is stable isotope analysis. This process measures differences in the compositions of non-decaying (hence, "stable") isotopes of various common elements, as the degree of difference in these compositions in animal tissues and in the environment have known relationships to various factors such as diet, habitat use, water source, and temperature.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200318143733.htm

[Andreu 37,216]

waiting for the little annoyeds to somehow relate this topic to Gaga's delay

[Blond 5,715]

at least they didn't have to survive Chromatica postponement 

[Lighter 15,378]

Those pictures are fking scary and giving me chills

[Woolfsmck 2,763]

3 hours ago, Andreu said:

waiting for the little annoyeds to somehow relate this topic to Gaga's delay

Fellow fans aren't limited to 'just' Gsga in their discussions...🤨

[calmar 22,766]

3 hours ago, Andreu said:

waiting for the little annoyeds to somehow relate this topic to Gaga's delay

"Maybe Gaga, too, is especially sensitive to environmental differences over relatively small geographic distances (particularly with respect to distance from sea level)"

[Andreu 37,216]

1 minute ago, calmar said:

"Maybe Gaga, too, is especially sensitive to environmental differences over relatively small geographic distances (particularly with respect to distance from sea level)"

lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Ziggy 14,010]

3 hours ago, Andreu said:

waiting for the little annoyeds to somehow relate this topic to Gaga's delay

 

3 hours ago, Blond said:

at least they didn't have to survive Chromatica postponement 

Speak of the devil and they shall appear