Dinosaur extinction linked to a global rise of prehistoric grapevines

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

Researchers describe in their article Nature Plants article 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 and 19 million years.

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

It is extremely rare for soft tissues, such as fruit, to survive in our times in the form of fossils. Therefore, scientists wanting to gain knowledge about prehistoric fruits must rely on studies of fossilized seeds.

The oldest fossilized grape seeds that have been found are 66 million years old and were discovered in India.

Scientists believe it is no coincidence that grapes appeared in the fossil record exactly 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," describes Fabiany Herrera of the Field Museum in Chicago, USA. "The forest reset itself in a way that changed the composition of the plants."

The forests of that time radically changed their appearance, partly due to the disappearance of dinosaurs. Approximately 50 million years ago, fossilized grape seeds started to appear significantly more frequently. In the forests of that period, vines were growing by climbing trees.