Most megafaunal herbivores in the Americas went extinct around 10,000 years ago, presumably disrupting the long-distance seed dispersal of large, fleshy-fruited plant species. Proposed in 1982, the neotropical anachronism hypothesis suggests that large fruits evolved to attract now-extinct megafauna. While this explains many key adaptations of ‘megafaunal fruit’ plants, it lacks robust evidence. In new […]
Most megafaunal herbivores in the Americas went extinct around 10,000 years ago, presumably disrupting the long-distance seed dispersal of large, fleshy-fruited plant species. Proposed in 1982, the neotropical anachronism hypothesis suggests that large fruits evolved to attract now-extinct megafauna. While this explains many key adaptations of ‘megafaunal fruit’ plants, it lacks robust evidence. In new […]
