A study in Palaeontology revealed that humans and dinosaurs share an intriguing role in influencing seed sizes in fruits. As land animals evolve larger, seed sizes tend to increase due to ecosystem alterations. Researchers found that prehistoric giants like dinosaurs suppressed the growth of larger seeds by changing forest dynamics and light levels. Today, human activities, while minor compared to dinosaurs, similarly affect seed sizes and the plant landscape. This relationship highlights the profound impact of both megafauna and humans on their ecological environments.
Bigger seeds tend to attract bigger animals for dispersal and to sprout taller plants; both factors provide better sunlight access in crowded conditions.
Dinosaurs caused a level of destruction that suppressed an evolutionary tendency for seeds to grow bigger by physically altering their ecosystems.
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