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Lost Behemoths: What Caused the Extinction of Non-Avian Dinosaurs?
The extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs about 66 million years ago marked one of the most dramatic changes in life on Earth. This event is called the Cretaceous-Paleocene extinction event and is directly related to the impact of a huge asteroid on the Earth. This impact caused drastic changes in the previously prosperous ecological environment. Although there is sufficient scientific evidence pointing to this hypothesis, many questions remain to be answered.
According to research by scientists, this event led to the extinction of approximately 75% of species on Earth, including all non-avian dinosaurs.
In this context, we need to explore in depth to explain why the dinosaurs as we know them disappeared from the earth at the end of the Cretaceous period. This involves not just the impact of an asteroid, but also the dynamics of Earth's climate, sea level changes and ecosystems.
The unique ecological environment of the Cretaceous period
During the Cretaceous, the Earth had high sea levels and a relatively warm climate, coupled with the formation of multiple shallow inland seas. These conditions provided a good environment for the reproduction of marine and terrestrial organisms. In this context, there are not only abundant marine reptiles, but also a variety of dinosaur species.
A variety of endangered species, including vertebrates and invertebrate endemics, experienced peaks in biodiversity during this period.
Main causes of extinction
With the end of the Cretaceous period, the ecosystem underwent drastic changes. According to scholars' speculation, the biggest impact came from an asteroid with a diameter of ten kilometers that hit the Earth in the Chicxulub area of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The impact triggered massive fires and climate changes that rapidly changed the entire Earth's environment.
The impact of an asteroid caused a large amount of gas and dust to enter the atmosphere, blocking sunlight for a long time and causing catastrophic effects on plant growth.
In addition, volcanic activity is also an important factor. The Deccan Traps volcanic eruption in India released large amounts of lava and gas, making the climate worse and exacerbating species extinction.
Collapse of the biological chain
Another important impact of this extinction event is the collapse of the ecosystem. According to research, dinosaurs and large reptiles such as pterosaurs and giant marine reptiles relied on producers to maintain the food chain. With the general extinction of plants came the one-by-one demise of all the animals that depended on the plants.
After extinction, surviving species such as mammals and birds turned to insects and other organisms that did not rely on photosynthesis.
The process of ecological reconstruction
Many scholars believe that although extinction events caused widespread species loss, they also created opportunities for the evolution of new species. The rapid reproduction of mammals and birds after a long recovery process demonstrates the extraordinary resilience of living systems.
Conclusion: Reflections on the extinction of the dinosaurs
The extinction of non-avian dinosaurs is undoubtedly an important moment in the reshaping of global ecosystems. This event not only redefined the development direction of the earth's biodiversity, but also caused us to deeply reflect on the changes in the current ecological environment. Faced with today's trends of global climate warming and biodiversity loss, we have to think about whether the future of mankind will repeat the mistakes of the dinosaurs?
