Dinosaur Extinction Nearly Destroyed Bees 65 Million Years Ago

About 65 million years ago, there was a massive extinction of bees. The disappearance of these insects, though, corresponded with a massive event that also wiped out land dinosaurs and many flowering plants. Now, scientists are taking a closer look at this event, which could shed light on the current decline in bee species.

At the end of the Cretaceous period and the beginning of the Paleogene eras, something known as the K-T boundary, an extinction event occurred. Previous studies have revealed that there was a huge decline in flowering plants. Although scientists assumed that bees would have also declined during this time because of this, there's a relatively poor fossil record of these insects. Because of this, confirming an extinction of this kind has been difficult.

In order to further examine this particular period, the researchers turned to a technique called molecular phylogenetics. They analyzed DNA sequences of four "tribes" of 230 species of carpenter bees from every continent except Antarctica. This gave the scientists insight into evolutionary relationships and allowed them to see patterns that were consistent with a mass extinction. Combining fossil records with DNA analysis, the researchers then introduced time into the equation.

"The data told us something major was happening in four different groups of bees at the same time," said Sandra Rehan, one of the researchers, in a news release. "And it happened to be the same time as the dinosaurs went extinct."

In fact, the findings reveal a fuller picture of bee behaviors over time. More specifically, they show how these insects disappeared during a time when mass extinctions among the dominant land animal at the time, dinosaurs, were prevalent. In addition, it may have implications for today's concerns about the loss of diversity in bees.

"If you could tell their whole story, maybe people would care more about protecting them," said Rehan in a news release. "Understanding extinctions and the effects of declines in the past can help us understand the pollinator decline and the global crisis in pollinators today."

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.