The extinct mastodon continues to have an impact on modern ecosystems in South America. Although this prehistoric ancestor of the elephant species went extinct around 11,000 years ago, the large fruit plants that relied on them for seed dispersal are still around, albeit critically endangered.
A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution highlights how Notiomastodon platensis, a South American mastodon, was a frugivore and an essential seed spreader. These findings could also provide the missing evidence to back up a decades-old hypothesis.
“We found starch residues and plant tissues typical of fleshy fruits, such as those of the Chilean palm (Jubaea chilensis),” said Florent Rivals, ICREA research professor at IPHES-CERCA and an expert in paleodiet, in a press release. “This directly confirms that these animals frequently consumed fruit and played a role in forest regeneration.”
Back in 1982, paleontologist Paul Martin and biologist Daniel Janzen proposed the “neotropical ...
