Articles for tag: conservation biology, ecological impact, mastodons, seed dispersal, South American forests

Mastodon skeleton, Museum of the Earth

The Extinction That Changed South America: What Mastodons Left Behind

April Joy Jovita

The extinction of mastodons in South America approximately 10,000 years ago continues to affect native forests, as revealed in a groundbreaking study by the University of O’Higgins, Chile. For the first time, scientists have found direct fossil evidence that these extinct elephant relatives played a critical role in seed dispersal, maintaining the biodiversity of large-fruited ...