Dinosaur coprolites and the early evolution of grasses and grazers

Science. 2005 Nov 18;310(5751):1177-80. doi: 10.1126/science.1118806.

Abstract

Silicified plant tissues (phytoliths) preserved in Late Cretaceous coprolites from India show that at least five taxa from extant grass (Poaceae) subclades were present on the Indian subcontinent during the latest Cretaceous. This taxonomic diversity suggests that crown-group Poaceae had diversified and spread in Gondwana before India became geographically isolated. Other phytoliths extracted from the coprolites (from dicotyledons, conifers, and palms) suggest that the suspected dung producers (titanosaur sauropods) fed indiscriminately on a wide range of plants. These data also make plausible the hypothesis that gondwanatherian mammals with hypsodont cheek teeth were grazers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution*
  • Dinosaurs / physiology*
  • Feeding Behavior
  • India
  • Poaceae* / chemistry
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry

Substances

  • Silicon Dioxide