SUMMERY
In the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary, associate professor Dr. Jessica Theodor, is part of a team of researchers studying the impact of the extinction of dinosaurs, 65 millions years ago, on mammal populations. Their article that appears in the journal Science is the first to truly display the signifigant size difference mammals had after the predatory positions dinosaurs filled were left vacant. When there was no competition for vegetation or habitat, mammals had the opportunity to expand, and being large makes an animal a more efficient herbavore. The scientists analyzed the recorded mammal species from every time period and estimated which were largest and heaviest. The rapid evolution they underwent in less than 25 million years took mammals from a maximum of about 10 kilograms to a maximum of 17 tonnes!
OPINION
This article makes sense perfectly. If there's no competition it's obvious that the remaining animals are going to grow larger and stronger. I'm only surprised that it took this long for there to be articles about this topic. It's all a matter of competition. When the dinosaurs were gone, the mammals that were left had to hold their own in the new enviorment and had to evolve or die. There was also the changing weather patterns so they needed to take a form that could keep them warmer and help them find food.
BRITTANY BURNS
No comments:
Post a Comment