We have earlier read that an asteroid hit Earth about 66 million years ago. This event wiped out about 75% of life on Earth, including dinosaurs. This is known as a ‘mass extinction‘.

A new study says that this asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs gave birth to our planet’s tropical rainforests (like the Amazon rainforest).

This asteroid struck the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. After it struck Earth, the type of vegetation (plants) that grew in the South American tropical forests changed a lot.

For this study, researchers looked at the fossil of pollen and leaves from Colombia, South America. They studied fossils from before and after the asteroid hit.

They found that before the asteroid hit, plants like conifers and ferns were common. But after the asteroid hit, flowering plants became much more common.

Additionally, before, when the dinosaurs were still around, the trees were widely spaced. But now, the trees in the Amazon are very dense (thick), hardly letting sunlight hit the ground.

But how did this happen?

The scientists say there could be three different explanations.

Firstly, dinosaurs could have kept the forest from growing too thick by eating or trampling on them. So, once they were gone, the plants grew a lot more.

Secondly, ash from the asteroid hit made the soil richer. This allowed the faster-growing flowering plants to grow.

Thirdly, the death of the conifer plants species created an opportunity for flowering plants to take over.

 

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