There disappearance of dinosaurs paved the way for the spread of the vine. Very ancient fossil seeds dating back 60 million years, discovered in South America, are the oldest ever found in the Western Hemisphere. These seeds are only slightly younger than those found in India, dating back 66 million years, when a large asteroid hit the Earth causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. The study published in the journal Nature Plants and led by the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago has permit the discovery of 9 species of fossil seedswhich appeared between 60 and 19 million years ago in Colombia, Panama and Peru.
Thanks to Dinosaurs: The Oldest Fossil Grape in the Western Hemisphere
“We always think of animals because they have been the most affected beings, but The extinction had a huge impact on plants too”,
says Fabiany Herrera, who led the research.
“Forests have also undergone a ‘reset’ that has caused a change in plant composition.”
The forests, which have become thicker thanks to the absence of disturbances caused by dinosaurs, have offered new opportunities:
“In the fossil record around this time we start to see more plants that climb trees, like the vine.”
adds Herrera.
The fossil seeds found belong to species distantly related to those native to the Western Hemisphere, but their position in the family tree suggests that their evolutionary journey has been quite adventurous. “The fossil record tells us that the screw is very resistant”, comments Herrera.
“This group of plants faced many extinctions in the Central and South American region, but managed to adapt and survive.”
Given the biodiversity crisis our planet is currently experiencing, the authors of the study believe that this information is valuable for understanding the fundamental mechanisms on the adaptation capacities of various species.
What do you think of these new discoveries about fossil seeds?
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