New research from Harvard University suggests that rapid global warming was the primary driver of reptile evolution. The results of a recent study cast doubt on the rationales previously accepted for the reptiles' evolution.
A recently published study in the journal Nature Communications highlights that the rate of evolution and diversity of reptiles exploded millions of years ago as a result of rising global temperatures. According to a study conducted by researchers from Harvard University in the United States, the extreme climate change that occurred just over 250 million years ago gave rise to a variety of acquired skills, and physical traits in reptiles. These changes contributed to the emergence of reptile species as one of the most prosperous and diverse creatures living on the planet.
Previously, scientists believed that the two largest mass extinction events—the Cretaceous and the Pleistocene—were responsible for the explosion in reptile species. These two events on Earth took place at the end of the Permian geologic period. During the extinction event about 252 million years ago, about 86 percent of all animal species perished. Additionally, it signalled the beginning of a new era in which the number of land reptiles increased.
Scientists had previously thought that the decline of their rivals was what caused the increase in the population of reptiles and their subsequent evolution. But according to this recent study, the boom was caused by global warming rather than a mass extinction.
The Harvard University team of researchers carefully measured and scanned fossils of reptiles that date from 294 to 237 million years ago. They looked at 1,000 samples at 50 research centres in 20 nations. They used an extensive database of sea surface temperatures based on oxygen isotope data, dating back 450 million years, to provide information on the climate. The researchers discovered that the faster the rate of climate change, the faster reptiles evolved. They did this by monitoring changes in the body and head size and shape of reptiles and comparing this information with climate data.
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