Fossil plants such as the arum Afrocasia are indicative of tropical rainforests in the Late Cretaceous. Image source: Clément Coiffard / Freie Universität Berlin
Plant fossils from Egypt shed light on the evolutionary history of rainforests. Fossil plants such as the arum Afrocasia are indicative of tropical rainforests in the Late Cretaceous. Image source: Clément Coiffard / Freie Universität Berlin An international team of researchers led by first author Dr. Clément Coiffard of Freie Universität Berlin and Senckenberg scientist Dieter Uhl has taken a close look at the evolutionary history of tropical rainforests. In their study, published today in the journal "Biogeosciences," the researchers conclude on the basis of fossil flora from Egypt that there were already extensive tropical forest areas in northeastern Africa comparable to today's rainforests in the late Cretaceous period, about 80 million years ago. (Study: https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/20/1145/2023/ ) Green and moist all year round, inhabited by colorful birds, elegant predators, long lianas and tree giants: Today's rainforests are among the most species-rich and fascinating habitats on our planet. The time in the earth's history at which these 'hotspots of biodiversity' developed is disputed in science. On the one hand, studies based on modern plants suggest that tropical rainforests existed 100 million years ago, but on the other hand, no corresponding fossil evidence older than about 70 million years has been identified so far," explains lead author of the study Dr. Clément Coiffard from Freie Universität Berlin.
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