Approximately 200 million years ago, during the transition between the Triassic and Jurassic geological eras, dinosaurs began to stand out significantly in terrestrial ecosystems. During this period, not only did they grow in size, but they also managed to outcompete other reptiles, becoming the largest animals on the Earth’s surface.

To better understand this fascinating stage of their evolution, a group of researchers analyzed hundreds of fragments of coprolites, fossilized excrement scientifically known as bromalites. This analysis has provided key insights into the early stages of dinosaur development and their interaction with the surrounding environment.

Joel Vikberg Wernström, an evolutionary biologist and doctoral student at the Arctic University Museum of Norway at UiT, led this effort along with colleagues from universities in Poland, Sweden, and Hungary. He explains that bromalites offer an exceptional window into understanding who ate whom during the late Triassic and early Jurassic periods.

Dinosaurs food
Reconstructed food webs across the Triassic–Jurassic transition, model for the dinosaurs’ stepwise rise to dominance and key phases of dinosaur evolution in the Polish Basin. Credit: M. Qvarnström et al. / Nature

The research team collected more than 500 bromalites during years of fieldwork in Poland. They then used an advanced X-ray technique known as synchrotron radiation to scan the interior of these fossils. The scans allowed them to create extremely detailed virtual three-dimensional models, where the researchers could observe plant fragments and animal remains that the dinosaurs had consumed.

Wernström highlights that the preservation level of these remains is astonishing, allowing for a much more accurate view of the dinosaurs’ position in the food chains of their time. Unlike the traditional study of bones and skeletal remains, which can provide a limited perspective on diets and behaviors, bromalites directly reveal the feeding habits and ecological interactions of these prehistoric animals.

One of the most intriguing discoveries is how dinosaurs gradually evolved to become the giants that dominated ecosystems. Initially, they were small creatures that fed on insects and fish.

Dinosaurs food
Fragments of coprolites (Krasiejów). Credit: M. Qvarnström et al. / Nature

Later, carnivorous dinosaurs underwent an evolution that, among other things, enabled them to become large animals capable of hunting the massive herbivorous dinosaurs with long necks and bird-like feet that emerged as vegetation changed, explains Wernström.

This evolution was also marked by environmental changes. As vegetation evolved, large herbivorous dinosaurs appeared, such as the long-necked species and ornithischians. These animals, in turn, fueled the evolution of larger and more specialized predators.

The analysis of bromalites not only confirms this progression but also offers new perspectives on how these animals adapted to changes in their habitat and diet, establishing themselves as the dominant species on land during the Jurassic period.

The results of this research show that dinosaur evolution was not a linear process but rather a series of successive adaptations to an ever-changing environment. From small predators to the giants we all know, their evolutionary success was tied to their ability to diversify their diets and adapt to new environmental conditions.

SOURCES

UiT Norges arktiske universitet

Qvarnström, M., Vikberg Wernström, J., Wawrzyniak, Z. et al. Digestive contents and food webs record the advent of dinosaur supremacy. Nature (2024). doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08265-4

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