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Thanks for the reference to the Encyclopedia of
Dinosaurs samples! I've been doing some browsing, on
herbivory:
<The dominant herbivorous dinosaurs [from
inception to mid-Cretaceous] found in association with the lower latitude
communities were the giant, high-feeding sauropods, although smaller forms were
also present. One hypothesis is that the generally large stature and posited low
food quality of the available gymnosperms influenced the size and morphology of
the herbivores, as the lower quality food necessitated the consumption of larger
quantities of food, and its retention for longer times.>
(Tiffney, Dinosaurs and Plants)
If the limitation on neck movement is correct, then
'high-feeding' is unlikely, unless rearing proves reasonable. If the food
is low quality and the available supply is less than previously assumed
when high-feeding was thought likely, is this hypothesis more
questionable?
<However, other factors may also have entered
into the equation, including the digestive physiology of large
dinosaurs. It has also been suggested that the large sauropods fed on "fern prairies", which would have provided a higher-quality and more disturbance-tolerant food source.> Does the prairie in "fern prairie" mean the sort of
buffalo herd prairie I'm visualizing? If so, wouldn't height be a
disadvantage? Also, the entry observes that:
< Most of
the Mesozoic was dominated by large, disturbance-creating, herbivores that were
predators upon whole plants and which operated in an open
environment.>
Assuming the comparatively low reproduction rates
for gymnosperms and the fact that large sauropods were eating them, how long
would such prairies last?
Also, these prairies would
be found in the areas dominated by large sauropods, areas
described as 'more drought-adapted [, hotter,] and probably more
open', compared to '[h]igher paleolatitude communities [, which]
may have been cooler and wetter, and thus possibly more productive.' Why
wouldn't the prairies be found at higher latitudes
instead?
As you can see, I've been wondering whether a
reduction in the amount of food available to at least some sauropods because of
limited neck movement might affect their ability to survive. The
information in this entry doesn't resolve the issue for me.
I'm also thinking about the idea that a large
animal in warm, open terrain does not have to generate much internal
heat.
Maybe you could watch a sauropod for a long time
from the same spot...
Anyone care to comment?
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