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Dinosaur diversification linked with the Carnian Pluvial Episode
Massimo Bernardi1,2, Piero Gianolla3, Fabio Massimo Petti4,5
1MUSE-Museo delle Scienze, Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza 3, 38122, Trento, Italy. massimo.bernardi@muse.it.
Dinosaurs exploded in diversity during the Late Triassic, following the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE). This period of climate change and floral shifts created ecological opportunities for dinosaurs to thrive.
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Stratigraphy
- Climate Science
Background:
- Dinosaurs originated in the Early Triassic but remained ecologically minor until the Late Triassic.
- The Late Triassic diversification of dinosaurs is poorly dated and constrained.
- The Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE) represents a significant climate event in the mid-Carnian.
Observation:
- Dinosaur footprints appear in the fossil record precisely coinciding with the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE).
- Analysis of ichnofaunas in the Italian Dolomites provides precise dating of tetrapod faunal changes.
- Skeletal evidence and footprint occurrences reveal a shift in faunal composition.
Findings:
- Dinosaur diversification and ecological expansion occurred in two distinct steps during the Triassic.
- The explosive increase in dinosaur diversity followed the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE), dated to 234-232 Ma.
- Dinosaur footprints are found exactly at the time of the CPE, indicating their diversification occurred during this period.
Implications:
- The CPE, characterized by climate and floral shifts, created ecological vacuums.
- Dinosaurs opportunistically replaced extinct herbivores, leading to their explosive diversification.
- This study refines the timeline of dinosaur evolution and their ecological ascendancy.
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