The demise of dinosaurs around 66 million years ago sent major ripples throughout ecosystems, and it may have even paved the way for fruit to evolve. New research has scoured through the evolutionary history of fruit and seeds to determine when and how they changed in size over time, confirming that dinosaur extinction led to the growth of large fruit that fueled our primate ancestors’ diets.
A recent study published in the journal Palaeontology shows the ebbs and flows of seed size throughout history, largely dictated by changing conditions of forests. The results — covering the fall of dinosaurs and the rise of mammals — demonstrate how certain species play a major role in influencing the world around them as ecosystem engineers.
