Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Science
Related: About this forumDisappearance of wildflowers may have doomed woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/07/disappearance-of-wildflowers-may-have-doomed-woolly-mammoth-and-woolly-rhinoceros/Disappearance of wildflowers may have doomed woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros
By Reuters
Friday, February 7, 2014 1:50 EST
Flower power may have meant the difference between life and death for some of the extinct giants of the Ice Age, including the mighty woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros.
Scientists who studied DNA preserved in Arctic permafrost sediments and in the remains of such ancient animals have concluded that these Ice Age beasts relied heavily on the protein-rich wildflowers that once blanketed the region.
But dramatic Ice Age climate change caused a huge decline in these plants, leaving the Arctic covered instead in grasses and shrubs that lacked the same nutritional value and could not sustain the big herbivorous mammals, the scientists reported in the journal Nature on Wednesday.
The change in vegetation began roughly 25,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago a time when many of the big animals slipped into extinction, the researchers said.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
3 replies, 863 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (7)
ReplyReply to this post
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Disappearance of wildflowers may have doomed woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros (Original Post)
unhappycamper
Feb 2014
OP
Victor_c3
(3,557 posts)1. Interesting
I remember reading not to long ago that something like 90%+ of large mammals went extinct at about the time of the last ice age and there was a debate whether humans played any role in that or not. Apparently I guess they had nothing to do with it.
The explanation of changing flora makes a lot of sense.
WovenGems
(776 posts)2. Nope
The cause of death would have to include the other victims, camels, one kind of skunk but not the other, Dire Wolves and more. Looks more like an impact during winter is the COD.
starroute
(12,977 posts)3. Sometimes it's All of the Above
Just as the flu can kill off the elderly and those with compromised immune systems while the young and healthy recover easily, natural disasters are particularly catastrophic when a system is already under stress.