The rise of angiosperms has been regarded as a trigger for the Cretaceous revolution of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the timeframe of the rise angiosperm-dominated herbaceous floras (ADHFs) is lacking. Here, we used the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) as a proxy to provide insights into the rise of ADHFs. An integration of phylogenetic, molecular dating, ancestral state inferring, and dive...

Meredith et al. (Reports, 28 October 2011, p. 521) question three findings of our delayed-rise hypothesis for present-day mammals made with reference to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (KPg) boundary, based on their new time tree of the group. We show that their own data do not support their objections and that the macroevolutionary patterns from the respective phylogenies are not statistically differ...

The Zagros orogeny in Iran is associated with two successive geodynamic events during the Tertiary period, a Paleogene NE-directed regional crustal extension followed by a Miocene NW-directed regional crustal extension and a magmatic flare-up. The current study was undertaken to reanalyze previous structural work developed on the extensional Chapedony metamorphic core complex in Central Iran ex...

—The late Paleocene-early Eocene transition was characterized by a long period of global warming that culminated with the highest temperatures of the Cenozoic. This interval is associated with a significant increase in plant diversity in temperate latitudes. However, data from tropical regions remain largely unknown. The record of pollen and spore diversity across the late Paleocene to the earl...

Given the Indian block’s ancient association with Gondwana and subsequent separation from Africa, then Madagascar, Seychelles, vicariance has often been invoked to explain distribution of some India’s extant biota that might have had Gondwanan origins. Here I review phylogenetic studies fossil data tetrapods ascertain contribution dispersal in shaping assemblage. Paleogene into India accounts f...

O'Leary et al. (Research Article, 8 February 2013, p. 662) examined mammalian relationships and divergence times and concluded that a single placental ancestor crossed the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary. This conclusion relies on phylogenetic analyses that fail to discriminate between homology and homoplasy and further implies virus-like rates of nucleotide substitution in early Paleocene...

Hyaenodonta is a diverse clade of carnivorous mammals that were part of terrestrial faunas in the Paleogene of Eurasia and North America, but the oldest record for the group is Afro-Arabian, making the record there vital for understanding the evolution of this wide-spread group. Previous studies show an ancient split between two major clades of hyaenodonts that converged in hypercarnivory: Hyai...

Foraminifers from the upper Oligocene, lower Miocene, and Pleistocene at Site 270 in the southern Ross Sea, Antarctica, are discussed and illustrated. The total fauna comprises 74 genera and 163 species. A small number of taxa are recycled from Cretaceous and older Paleogene sediments. Four assemblage zones are proposed, the age of informal lithologic units discussed, and potentially important ...