Language
Country/Area
No result found
The Split of the Dinosaur Kingdom: How Does Biodiversity Differ in the West and East?
During the distant Late Cretaceous period, more than 65 million years ago, Earth's biological diversity reached a new peak. During this period, North America was split into two parts, east and west, by a body of water called the Western Interior Sea. This geographical change caused species to evolve and adapt in different regions. This article will explore the differences in biodiversity between the west and the east during this process, and the impact of this split on the dinosaur kingdom.
Geographical background and ecosystem
As plates moved, North America gradually moved westward, forming its current topography, in which the emergence of the Western Inland Sea effectively separated the biological communities.
The geographical environment of the Late Cretaceous was quite unique, with the Western Interior Sea dividing eastern and western North America. The eastern ecosystem is dominated by ancient plants and diverse dinosaurs, and the gardens, plains and forests here provide a good habitat for dinosaurs. In contrast, the western region, due to the influence of terrain and climate, has formed a more specialized ecosystem, inhabited by different types of dinosaurs and other creatures.
Dinosaur diversity
Non-avian dinosaurs showed different characteristics in the two regions. In the east, large herbivorous dinosaurs like Ceratopsians and Herodon dominated, while in the west, predators like Tyrannosaurus Rex were more common.
During the Late Cretaceous, the east had a unique way of life, while the west changed as it moved northward along the food chain.
This biological differentiation is not limited to dinosaurs; similar situations can be observed in other biological groups. For example, the evolution of insects, fish, and other animal types in the two regions also showed different trends due to different environments and climates.
Mammals and marine life
As for mammals, early mammals in the east had a better chance of survival, while mammals in the west were relatively small and less diverse. Additionally, marine ecosystems were affected, and as the oceans became increasingly rich, species such as plesiosaurs, sharks, and various marine reptiles diversified during this period.
The impact of the first mass extinction
Many organisms that thrived in both regions were devastated by the Cretaceous-Paleocene extinction event about 66 million years ago. This extinction was caused by a combination of huge meteorite impacts and volcanic activity, which completely changed the ecological environment of the Earth. After this incident, many formerly prosperous creatures in the West suffered a greater blow, resulting in a change in the evolutionary direction of creatures in the two places.
After the extinction event, species regeneration occurred differently in the east and west, affecting the course of evolution for tens of millions of years to come.
Future Evolution
After the extinction event, the ecosystems of the East and the West gradually formed their own unique characteristics, and further evolutionary processes led to a redefinition of biodiversity. During the Cenozoic Era, many of the former dinosaurs evolved into today's birds, while in the realm of mammals, a variety of new species and adaptations emerged.
ConclusionFrom the ancient ecological environment to the future evolution of biodiversity, in such a long history, the western and eastern dinosaur kingdoms have shaped different biospheres due to geographical isolation. This makes us think, in this era of rapid change, how will biodiversity continue to evolve under the influence of geographical and climate change to adapt to future environments?
