The history of ancient world is a full bucket of surprises!
Every passing day, we come across new discoveries, which totally change our outlook. We know the story of extinction of dinosaurs. Although there are numerous theories on the reasons behind extinction, the outcome is even more exciting. The dinosaur extinction event caused numerous species to grow and spread across the world. One plant that got highly benefitted is grape. In this article, we will dive into the details of new exciting findings on dinosaur extinction and its consequences on growth of grapes.
Fabiany Herrera, an assistant curator at the Field Museum in Chicago along with the team discovered “nine new species of fossil grapes.” One of the seeds belongs to the the grape family in the Western Hemisphere. Although being small in size, the newly discovered seed was identified by the researchers based on shape and morphology.
Evolution of Grapes Seeds: Nearly 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid hit the earth and totally destroyed the dinosaur population. Herrera’s team hypothesise that the “disappearance of large dinosaurs may have altered forest ecosystems, creating denser, more layered environments that favored climbing plants like grapes.”
“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,” Herrera said.
Scientists believe the absence of dinosaur or any large herbivores permitted tropical forests to grow in South America. Ancient birds and mammals helped dispersal of the seeds to spread beyond continents.
More about the Seeds: Unlike other species, when plants are discovered as fossils, only remnants are seeds because other soft tissues decay very fast. The newly discovered seed is named as Lithouva susmanii, one of the world’s oldest grape fossils. The research team utilized advanced technologies including CT scans, to confirm the identity of the seed fossil. This discovery has a huge implication to understand plant evolution and biodiversity crisis.
Herrera said: “These are the oldest grapes ever found in this part of the world, and they’re a few million years younger than the oldest ones ever found on the other side of the planet.”
“The fossil record tells us that grapes are a very resilient order. They’re a group that has suffered a lot of extinction in the Central and South American region, but they also managed to adapt and survive in other parts of the world,” added Herrera.
India Connection: The history of the Vitaceae family is almost 66 million years old. This earliest known grape seed fossils were originally found in India for the first time.
Enriched with potassium, fiber, and vitamins, grapes are crucial against cardiovascular diseases. It protects eyes and effective to prevent constipation. Some researchers also mentioned anti-cancerous properties of grapes too. Grapes are also helpful in managing blood pressure. Grapes are available in different colours like; purple, white, green, yellow, black, and red. You can consume it raw or in the form of salad, juice, smoothie, desserts, and popsicle.
This discovery not only highlights the evolutionary journey of grapes, but also showcase the resilience of this plant family after undergoing multiple extinctions.
