Dinosaurs are extinct, the reason may be it ...

Three main types of dinosaurs living in Shanyang Basin at the end of the Baiji Period: Egg Dragon, Duckbill Dragon and Tyrannosaurus Zhao Chuangi

66 million years ago, the dinosaurs of the earth disappeared. What causes the extinction of dinosaurs? Is the asteroid hit the earth, is it a climate change, or is it a large area of ​​volcanic eruption?

The answer may not be so simple -scientists from the Institute of Ancient vertebrates and ancient human research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Geology and Earth Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and other institutions have conducted systematic research on the dinosaur fossils of Shaanxi Shanyang Basin , A new mechanism of dinosaur extinction is proposed: During the late Whitening World, with the synergistic evolution of the natural ecosystem and the dinosaur itself, the dinosaur diversity had continuously recession, reducing the environmental adaptation capacity of the dinosaur group, leading to the environmental adaptation capacity, resulting It could not survive and recover in environmental changes caused by major disasters such as volcanic eruption or asteroid impact, and eventually moved towards extinction.

The research results were published in the form of cover articles in the latest issue of the international comprehensive academic journal "College of Academy of Sciences".

An associate researcher of Wang Qiang, one of the main completes of this research, explained that the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Ancient Human Research Institute explained: "To answer the mystery of dinosaur extinction, it is still necessary to rely on the time and space records of dinosaurs on the earth, The incompleteness and regional differences of the records have caused global comparison difficulties to the answer to this question. "This study conducted a targeted study of the above issues.

"Shaanxi Shanyang Basin is one of the few in my country with the mysteries of the West -New Shi Dinosaur extinction. The land -phase ground framework has laid the foundation for the relevant scientific research. "Wang Qiang said that the scientists focused on the research on the dinosaur egg fossil discovered by the basin. The rules of the rich burial can also reflect the ancient environment information during the survival of the dinosaur. "

The research team collected more than 1,000 pieces of dinosaur eggs and eggshell specimens in the Wakisuya Shiyang Group system in Shanyang Basin. The type of dinosaur eggs is mainly Yaotun giant eggs, Pingling stack eggs, etc. It is very consistent with the dinosaur type represented by the dinosaur skeletal fossils in the Shanyang Pennia Basin. In addition, a small amount of tyrannosaurus bones are produced in the basin. Wang Qiang said: "Studies have found that dinosaur eggs and dinosaur bones indicate that the dinosaur diversity in the basin at that time was at a relatively low level."

In order to determine the geological age of the Shanyang Basin where the dinosaur fossil is located, the team carried out detailed magnetic stratigraphic stratigraphic, biological stratigraphic and rotary stratigraphic studies in the Shanyang Basin, especially the "age of dinosaur egg fossil discovery of the formation of dinosaur egg fossils was highly accurate. ", Provides a reliable basis for age to analyze the changes of the dinosaur diversity and its driving factors at the end of the Baiji Period.

Wang Qiang said: "The results of the age of the age show that the time limit of dinosaur fossils in the Shanyang Basin is 68.24 million to 66.38 million years ago, indicating that the dinosaurs in the Shanyang Basin have been in a relatively low dinosaur diversity in about 2 million years before its extinction. Level. Comprehensive other late Baiyu Basin in the east of Qinling, and dinosaur fossils found in Laiyang, Shandong, Nanxiong and other places in Shandong, we found that the dinosaur divergence of Chinese dinosaurs around 72 million years has a significant reduction trend. This is from western North America. Dinosaur fossil distribution characteristics have similarities, so the reduction of dinosaurs in the late white world is likely to be a global phenomenon. "

Dinosaurs belong to ovarian animals, and the success rate of dinosaur eggs directly determines whether the flourishing of the dinosaur population. The incubation of dinosaurs requires the appropriate temperature, humidity and even carbon dioxide concentration. Wang Qiang said: "Factors such as environmental changes have led to a decrease in the success rate of dinosaur eggs, which will affect the diversity of dinosaurs. After encountering major disasters, dinosaur population cannot be continued. This may be the reason for the extinction of dinosaurs."

Source: "Guangming Daily" (September 21, 2022, 08 version)

Responsible editor: Wang Zimo

Edit: Wang Yuanfang Wu Yaqi Fan Tianpei

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