A total-evidence biogeographic model inferred broad Cretaceous–Palaeogene latitudes followed by contraction toward the present tropical–subtropical distribution, while exposing how strongly fossils change extinction estimates.
Represented range66–11.63 Ma
RegionsGlobal fossil and living-cycad sample
CladesCycadales
Claim ledger
biogeography · medium
A species-level total-evidence model combining 321 living cycad species with 60 fossil leaf species inferred a broader high-latitude distribution through the Cretaceous and Palaeogene followed by contraction from the end of the Palaeogene to the middle Miocene; including fossils also increased inferred local extirpations from 22 to 130.