Rise of flowering plants and decline of conifers

A study examining time-calibrated phylogenies and fossil records finds that the decline of conifers that was initiated in the Cretaceous Period is best explained by the rise of flowering plants and not by global climatic changes alone and is manifest in increased extinction rates for conifers since the Cretaceous; the results reveal the impact of competition between two major branches of the Tree of Life during a period of climate change, according to the authors.

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Article #20-05571: “The rise of angiosperms pushed conifers to decline during global cooling,” by Fabien L. Condamine, Daniele Silvestro, Eva B. Koppelhus, and Alexandre Antonelli.

MEDIA CONTACT: Fabien L. Condamine, French National Centre for Scientific Research, Montpellier, FRANCE; e-mail:

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