South American Mastodons Regularly Consumed Fruits, Study Suggests
Most of the Megafaunal Otçul in the United States exhausted about 10,000 years ago, and probably broke the long -distance distribution of large, fleshy criminal plant species. Recommended in 1982 Neotropic anachronism hypothesis It shows that big fruits are now developing to attract inadequate megafa. This lacks solid evidence, while explaining many important adaptations of ‘megafauunal fruit’ plants. In new research, researchers from Chile, Spain and Brazil have discovered fossil evidence for Frigivory in a descended South American probcosic. Notiomastodon PlatoensisAnd he found that the disappearance of this animal and relatives increased the risk of extinction for megafauunal fruit plants in South America.
“In 1982, Biologist Daniel Geanzen and Paleontologist Paul Martin proposed a revolutionary idea: Many tropical plants, mastodons, domestic horses or giant floor laziness to attract large animals such as large, sweet and colorful fruits will serve as a distributor. colleagues.
“This theory, known as the hypothesis of neotropic anachronism, has not been confirmed for more than forty years.”
“Our study offers direct fossil evidence that confirms this.”
In the study, Dr. González-Guarda and common writers analyzed 96 fossil teeth of South America Pleistoceen Mastodon Notiomastodon Platoensis.
The fossils gathered for more than 1,500 km from Los Vilos to Chiloé Island in Southern Chile.
Almost half of the examples came from the symbolic region Lake Tagua TaguaPleistosen Fauna is a old lake basin in the present O’Higgins region.
“To understand your lifestyle Notiomastodon PlatoensisWe used various techniques: isotopic analysis, microscopic tooth wear studies and fossil account analysis. ”
“We found starch residues and plant tissues where meat fruits are typical, for example Chile Palm (Jubaea Chilenis)Professor Florent Rivals, ICREA, IPHES-CERCA and Universitat Rovira I Virgin.
“This directly confirms that these animals often consume fruit and play a role in forest regeneration.”
Dr. Iv We were able to rebuild the environment and diet of animals with great sensitivity through stable isotope analysis, Iv Ramírez-Pedraza said.
“The data points to a forestic ecosystem rich in fruit resources where mastodons distribute long distances and seeds along the way. This ecological function is not changed.”
IPhes-Cerca and Barcelona Researcher of Autonomic University “Tooth chemistry gives us a direct window to the past, Carl said Carlos Torero.
“By combining different fields of evidence, we were able to confirm their attitudes and the key role they played in these ecosystems.”
Researchers also applied a machine learning model to compare the current protection status of Megafa -dependent plants in different South American regions.
The consequences are concern: in the center of Chile, 40% of these species are threatened – four times higher than the tropical regions where animals such as tapir or monkeys still act as alternative seed distributors.
Researcher at Ecología Y Biodiverdadad at Instituto. “When this ecological relationship between plants and animals is completely broken, the results can be seen even after thousands of years,” Andrea Loayza said.
Species like ” Gomorga (Gomorga Keule)Chilean palm and monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria Araucana) Now survive in small, fragmented populations with low genetic diversity. “
“They are the ruins of an extinct interaction.”
. findings published in the magazine today Ecology and evolution of nature.
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E. González-Guarda et al.. Fossil hose’s proof of Fridivory and its permanent effect on South American ecosystems. NAT ECOL EVOLOnline was published on 13 June 2025; Doi: 10.1038/s41559-025-02713-8
