The origin of tetrapod herbivory: effects on local plant diversity

Abstract

The origin of herbivory in the Carboniferous was a landmark event in the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems, increasing ecological diversity in animals but also giving them greater influence on the evolution of land plants. We evaluate the effect of early vertebrate herbivory on plant evolution by comparing local species richness of plant palaeofloras with that of vertebrate herbivores and herbivore body size. Vertebrate herbivores became diverse and achieved a much greater range of body sizes across the Carboniferous–Permian transition interval. This coincides with an abrupt reduction in local plant richness that persists throughout the Permian. Time-series regression analysis supports a negative relationship of plant richness with herbivore richness but a positive relationship of plant richness with minimum herbivore body size. This is consistent with studies of present-day ecosystems in which increased diversity of smaller, more selective herbivores places greater predation pressures on plants, while a prevalence of larger bodied, less selective herbivores reduces the dominance of a few highly tolerant plant species, thereby promoting greater local richness. The diversification of herbivores across the Carboniferous–Permian boundary, along with the appearance of smaller, more selective herbivores like bolosaurid parareptiles, constrained plant diversity throughout the Permian. These findings demonstrate that the establishment of widespread vertebrate herbivory has structured plant communities since the late Palaeozoic, as expected from examination of modern ecosystems, and illustrates the potential for fossil datasets in testing palaeoecological hypotheses.