Fossilized excrement and vomit: the rise of the dinosaurs to rule over the earth

Fossilized excrement and vomit: the rise of the dinosaurs to rule over the earth

fossils of faeces and vomit provide insights into the evolution of Dinosaurs and show how they dominated the earth. The study published on November 27th in the journal Nature analyzed hundreds of pieces of the Fossilized digestive material also called Bromalite to reconstruct what dinosaurs ate and how their diet changed over time 1 . The fossils show that the rise of dinosaurs over millions of years during the triad period was influenced by factors such as climate change and the extinction of other species.

"Our study shows that apparently insignificant fossils can be used to achieve remarkable results," says Martin Qvarnström, co-author of the study and researcher on the early dinosaur evolution at the University of Uppsala in Sweden.

palaeontologists have developed different theories about how dinosaurs became the dominant species on earth. Some believe that dinosaurs were superior to their rivals because they were particularly well adapted to a changing ecosystem or that random environmental changes gave them advantages over other types. However, a single hypothesis that fully explains the rise of the dinosaurs does not exist.

what dinosaurs ate

In order to better understand the early evolution of the dinosaurs, Qvarnström, together with his colleagues, cut up more than 500 bromalite from the Polish pool in Central Europe. The fossils are estimated at around 200 million years.

The team used various methods for analyzing the bromalite and its content, including various microscope methods and a technology called synchrotron microtomography, which uses a particle accelerator to make details of the fossils visible. In addition, chemical solutions were used to examine the exact content of the remains, which included fish, plants and insects.

Although many of the fossils were very old and acidic, the team found numerous well -preserved insects that had eaten the dinosaurs. "Some were so beautiful in three dimensions and had received all antennas and legs," reports Qvarnström.

The analysis of the digestive material enabled the researchers to "reproduce these food networks, so whoever ate who ate in all of these groups and this trend over such a long time interval," explains Qvarnström.

adapt or die

The team found that the number and diversity of the content of the fossils increased over time. This indicates that larger dinosaurs with more diverse eating habits become more important towards the end of the triad period (about 237 to 201 million years ago). By comparing the fossils with plant data from this time, the researchers determined that the rise of the dinosaurs was characterized by both chance and by adjustments. For example, climate change led to an increased humidity, which changed the available vegetation. Dinosaurs were better able to adapt to this changing climate and the changed diet than other land animals.

"What we have learned is that the rise of the dinosaurs took a long time and was really complex," says Qvarnström.

"This is an impressive piece of work," explains Suresh Singh, who examines Paleo -ecological dynamics at the University of Bristol, UK. He adds that this is the first time that he sees such comprehensive research into bromalites.

Singh notes that dinosaurs are an important data source to understand how life is adapted to different pressure situations such as climate change.

He suggests that future research could use Bromalite to examine how dinosaurs evolved in various parts of the world. "Current studies suggest that dinosaurs first developed in the southern hemisphere, and maybe there is a different pattern there," he says.

1. qvarnström, M. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08265-4 (2024).

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