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Did dinosaurs invent flowers? Dinosaur-angiosperm coevolution revisited
1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK. paul.barrett@zoo.ox.ac.uk
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
|September 25, 2001
Summary
Dinosaurs did not cause the origin of flowering plants (angiosperms). While some interactions occurred later in the Cretaceous, insects and mammals likely influenced angiosperm diversity more than herbivorous dinosaurs.
Area of Science:
- Paleobotany
- Paleozoology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Flowering plants (angiosperms) originated in the Early Cretaceous.
- Hypotheses suggest dinosaur herbivory influenced angiosperm evolution and radiation.
- Ornithischian dinosaur jaw evolution is linked to angiosperm radiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- Critically review evidence for dinosaur-angiosperm interactions during the Cretaceous.
- Spatially and temporally compare dinosaur and angiosperm evolutionary events.
- Assess direct and indirect evidence for dinosaur diets and their impact.
Main Methods:
- Review of fossil records for dinosaurs and angiosperms.
- Spatiotemporal comparison of evolutionary and palaeoecological events.
- Assessment of dinosaur diets and potential plant interactions.
Main Results:
- No strong spatiotemporal correlations support dinosaurs causing angiosperm origin.
- Some late Cretaceous dinosaur-angiosperm interactions may have occurred, but evidence is scarce.
- Insects and arboreal mammals likely had a greater impact on angiosperm diversity than dinosaurs.
Conclusions:
- Dinosaur herbivory was not the primary driver for angiosperm origins.
- Elevated atmospheric CO2 may have been crucial for early angiosperm radiation.
- Further research needed to clarify limited coevolutionary evidence between dinosaurs and angiosperms.