Poop sciences: Scientists unlock dinosaur rise through the study of feces, vomit

A study recently published in the journal Nature sheds new light on how dinosaurs rose to dominance during the Triassic Period, around 200 million years ago. The research team, led by Dr. Martin Qvarnström, a paleontologist at Uppsala University in Sweden, analyzed over 500 fossilized digestive remains, including coprolites (fossilized feces), regurgitalites (fossilized vomit), and cololites (fossilized gut contents), to reconstruct ancient food webs and understand early dinosaur ecosystems.

"We approached the rise of dinosaurs in a completely novel way. We analysed feeding evidence to deduce the ecological role of dinosaurs across their first 30 million years of evolution," Dr. Qvarnström said, according to The Independent.

The researchers used advanced imaging techniques, such as synchrotron microtomography, to examine the internal contents of the bromalites without damaging them. This allowed them to uncover remarkably well-preserved remains of plants and animals, including tiny beetles with intact antennae, fish bones, and bone shards. Some coprolites even contained large quantities of charcoal alongside plant remains. 

"Our research is innovative because we have chosen to understand the biology of the first dinosaurs based on their dietary preferences. There were many surprising discoveries along the way," explained co-author Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki from Uppsala University, as reported by El Mundo.

The findings suggest that early dinosaurs were opportunistic feeders with a flexible diet, consuming whatever resources were available, including insects, fish, and a variety of plants. 

This dietary adaptability may have given early herbivorous dinosaurs an advantage over other specialized herbivores of the time, contributing to their gradual rise to dominance. 

The presence of charcoal in the coprolites of herbivorous dinosaurs led researchers to hypothesize that these dinosaurs might have ingested burnt plants to detoxify their stomach contents, as some plants like ferns can be toxic. 

The study identified five key phases in the dinosaurs' rise to dominance during the Triassic. They observed that as the climate became wetter and new plant species emerged, herbivorous dinosaurs expanded their diets, which in turn supported the evolution of larger and more specialized carnivorous dinosaurs. 

According to the researchers, this gradual process was influenced by environmental changes and mass extinctions that occurred during the Late Triassic. "Dinosaurs had a bit of luck, but they were also very well adapted to this changing environment," Dr. Qvarnström summarized, as reported by La República.

Paleontologist Stephen Brusatte, who was not involved in the study, praised the research. "This is exactly what we need to understand the predator and prey links from millions of years ago," The New York Times quoted him as saying.

While the study focused on fossils from the Polish Basin, the researchers hope to apply their methods to other regions to see if similar patterns existed elsewhere. "Now we have a good model to test and compare to other areas of the world. We are extremely interested in doing that, and this time we are also aware of how much time and effort it requires. But we are ready for it!" Dr. Qvarnström said, according to Science Alert.

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq