The five great extinctions on record have caused profound changes in the history of life on Earth . However, a new study promoted by a team of scientists from the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden, seems to show that plants cope better than animals these crises .
After studying more than 20,000 fossilized plants, these experts have found that extinctions affect different groups of plants very differently.
Thus, in an essay published in the journal New Phytologist , they point out that after one of these events, the rate at which plants disappear only exceeds the appearance of new species for a short period of time.
In essence, this indicates that when it comes to dealing with extinction, plants are especially resilient. For example, the impact of an asteroid 66 million years ago precipitated the disappearance of dinosaurs and many other animals, but had a limited effect on plant biodiversity.
"Among plants, mass extinctions could actually be seen as opportunities for plants to renew themselves," says Daniele Silvestro, a phylogenetics and environmental science expert who coordinated the research.
