Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs helped form rainforests – study

The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago may have done more than just the most famous and iconic megafauna species to ever sweep the earth: it may have made the rainforests, too.

The study examined petrified pollen and leaves in Colombia to determine how the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs affected life. Although the findings showed that there was a widespread impact among species, such as a widespread extinction, the structure of the forest was also affected.

How did this change take place? There are a number of possibilities.

One idea that drove the researchers is that the asteroid left ashes. This ash could possibly have led to soil being enriched, which could have led to a better environment for flowering plants.

It is also possible that plants such as conifers, which were originally widespread in the area, were simply more vulnerable. It is known that conifers – contemporary examples of cedars and pine trees – were once the dominant trees in the world. However, they are known to be very susceptible to fire and extreme heat, as their thin bark and, in the case of pine trees, the pine needles and resin are highly flammable.

A third possibility that the researchers are considering has to do with the dinosaurs themselves. Trees such as conifers are known to have been the main food source for many herbivore dinosaurs, and as such it is possible that the migration patterns and feeding habits of dinosaurs helped maintain the previously open structure of the forest. Without the dinosaurs, that would have changed completely.

It is likely that all of these factors together could play a role. After all, the needles and resin that help make conifers so susceptible to heat and fire were probably developed as a protective agent against some herbivores.

But while the truth remains unclear, the end result is not surprising. After all, the asteroid impact wiped out more than just the dinosaurs – according to scholars, at least 75% of all life on earth was completely wiped out.

The asteroid itself is commonly referred to as the Chicxulub Impact (also known as the K / Pg Impact), which formed the Chicxulub Crater in what is now Mexico. This impact was unprecedented and led to this widespread extinction event which in turn paved the way for new evolutionary opportunities that changed the world forever.