Study: Grapes have been around for thousands of years...and were dinosaurs' favorite food
American researchers have linked the extinction of dinosaurs millions of years ago to the spread of grapes around the world, after they found 9 new types of fossil grapes, which they concluded date back to the era of dinosaurs.
The study was led by Fabiani Herrera, assistant curator of paleobotany at the Field Museum at the Negaunee Center for Integrative Research in Chicago.
The study, whose content was reported by Newsweek magazine, considered that the herbivorous dinosaurs fed extensively on grapes, which was proven by fossils found in the Andes Mountains that connect Colombia, Peru and Panama, and date back between 20 and 60 million years ago.
He confirmed that it is one of the oldest grape varieties ever found in this part of the world. He called it "vitasia" (vital), because it is a seed preserved despite the passage of time, but it remains a few million years younger than the oldest grape varieties found in India several years ago.
These fossils have shed light on the period following the extinction of the dinosaurs, which witnessed the spread of grapes of all kinds around the world.
He explained that when plants are found as fossils, it is always in the form of seeds, since soft plant tissues often decompose quickly.
He considered that the extinction of dinosaurs had a major impact on plants, as forests and prairies readjusted themselves in a way that changed the composition of plants.
After the mass extinction, some tropical forests, including those in South America, began to become more crowded with trees and plants, including, of course, grapes, whose vines certainly spread widely.
The period following the mass extinction of dinosaurs was characterised by great diversity among birds and mammals, which helped in transferring pollen to various plants, especially grapes, and distributing seeds from one site to another.
Source: websites