terça-feira, 30 de novembro de 2010

Rainforest collapse kickstarted reptile evolution


The fragmentation of tropical rainforests 300 million years ago helped pave the way for the rise of the dinosaurs, a new study suggests.
In the Carboniferous period, North America and Europe lay at the equator and were covered by steamy rainforest.
Global warming is thought to have brought about the collapse of these tropical habitats, triggering an evolutionary burst among reptiles.
The work, by a British team, is published in the journal Geology.
The forests that covered the ancient supercontinent of Euramerica are colloquially referred to as the Coal Forests. BBC News