Grassland expansion was not a main driver of mammal evolution in Plio-Pleistocene Africa, research suggests

Mammal evolution in Africa , including that of modern human ancestors, through the late Cenozoic ( Plio-Pleistocene, ~5.3 million years ago ) may not have been driven by the expansion of grasslands as previously thought, new research has suggested.

Changes in vegetation would likely have impacted the spatial range of mammal groups as they adapted to the environment, while extreme cases may have led to extinctions.

Strengthening paleoenvironmental inferences through analysis of present-day African mammals, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology ( 2023 ). DOI: 10.1016 /j.palaeo.2023.111786 Journal information: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 2023 Science X Network.