Disappearance of dinosaurs led to ancient grapevine proliferation

Scientists present their conclusions in an article published in the prestigious journal Nature Plants, claiming that the extinction of dinosaurs, which occurred 66 million years ago, may have contributed to the spread of grapevines on our planet.

Researchers describe in their article in the journal Nature Plants the oldest known grape seeds found in the Western Hemisphere. Their age is estimated at 60 million years. In total, during research conducted in Colombia, Panama, and Peru, scientists discovered nine previously unknown species of prehistoric grapevines. Their age is estimated at between 60 to 19 million years.

According to researchers, the extinction of dinosaurs may have created favourable ecological conditions that allowed the spread of grapevines.

It is scarce for soft tissues, such as fruit, to survive to our time in the form of fossils. Therefore, scientists who want to gain knowledge about prehistoric fruits must rely on studies of fossilised seeds.

The oldest fossilised grape seeds found are 66 million years old and were discovered in India.

Scientists believe it is no coincidence that grapes appeared in the fossil record precisely 66 million years ago. That was roughly when a massive asteroid hit the Earth, causing the mass extinction of many species, including dinosaurs.

"We always think about the animals, the dinosaurs, because they were the biggest things to be affected, but the extinction event had a huge impact on plants, too. The forest reset itself, in a way that changed the composition of the plants," describes Fabiany Herrera of the Field Museum in Chicago (USA).

The forest that existed at that time radically changed its appearance, which was also influenced by the disappearance of dinosaurs. Approximately 50 million years ago, fossilised grape seeds started to appear significantly more. In the forests of that period, more and more vines were growing by climbing trees.