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Dinosaurs and Plants (was Re: Plant Evolution)



Steering this plant conversation in a more dinosaurian direction, I for one have always been curious about several things:

1) What effect did dinosaurs have the evolution of plants? (did trees really get taller or angiosperms spread better because of them)

2) During the Late Jurassic, when there were no angiosperms, the lower nutrient-value coniferous plants were the main staple of sauropods and stegosaurs. Yet, we know that extant conifers do poorly when grazed on: they either grow back slow or they die. Only horsetails and ferns seem to be able to tolerate munching. But, extant ferns (and maybe horsetails, not sure) need a moist environment in which to reproduce -- what was the drier ground covered with? Could there have been a dry-adapted fern?

3) What does the aforementioned stuff about lower nutrient-value confiers suggest about dinosaurian physiology?

I don't pretend to know the answers to any of these questions (but I have some guesses), but just thought I'd stimulate some dino/plant discussions.

Matt Bonnan


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