Were Late Cretaceous extinctions of gastropods selective by generic longevity?

Many gastropod taxa went extinct during the Late Cretaceous. The stratigraphic ranges of 268 genera permit to establish the longevity of extinction victims for each stage of this epoch. “Young” taxa (originated within 3 epochs before the extinction) prevailed among victims of the extinctions in all stages. The proportion of “old” taxa (originated before the Cretaceous) that went extinct was the highest in the Cenomanian, and it was the lowest in the Coniacian and the Maastrichtian. It appears that the end-Cretaceous mass extinction affected chiefly “young” taxa. However, the comparison with the earlier time intervals suggests that this pattern of selectivity by generic longevity was not specific for the noted catastrophe, but, in contrast, it was typical for the entire Late Cretaceous. The latest Cenomanian environmental perturbation (OAE2) caused a stronger extinction of “old” taxa, and thus, this biotic crisis was less selective by generic longevity. This hypothesis, however, is not proven by the statistical test.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Young gastropod genera prevailed among victims of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. ► Established selectivity by taxa longevity was not specific for the mass extinction. ► The latest Cenomanian crisis was less selective by generic longevity.