Herbivores developed powerful jaws to digest tougher plants following the Mass Extinctions

Triassic herbivores illustration James Ormiston - The evolution of herbivores is linked to the plants that survived and adapted after the 'great dying', when over 90% of the world's species were wiped out 252 million years ago. Researchers at the University of Bristol found that plant eaters diversified quickly after mass extinctions to eat different kinds of plants, and the ones that were able to chew harsher materials, which reflected the drying conditions of the late Triassic, became the most successful. These tougher herbivores included some of the first dinosaurs. Following the largest mass extinction of all time, the end-Permian mass extinction, ecosystems rebuilt from scratch during Triassic times, from 252-201 million years ago paving the way for new species, and many new kinds of plants and animals emerged. In a new study published and led by Dr Suresh Singh of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences , fresh evidence has emerged of the complexity of the post-extinction recovery. "I wanted to focus on the plant-eaters, including some of the first dinosaurs," says Dr Suresh Singh. "The main animals in any ecosystem tend to be the herbivores, and we found that they show remarkable evidence of specialisation in the turbulent times after the great mass extinction.