From The Union Grass Valley Ca.

Education

Scientist: Plants adjust to get along
By Allan Stein - Sat, Oct 24, 1998

Tim Elston, holding a model Triceratops skull, discussed paleontologist Robber Bakker's theory of plants' coevolution with dinosaurs at a 3D slide show and lecture. Savra Frounfelker

At least, that's the theory put forth by a leading dinosaur scientist, said Tim Elston, an amateur paleontologist from Grass Valley during a talk and slide-show Thursday night at Madelyn Helling Library in Nevada City.

The program, titled "The Dance of Dinosaurs and Plants," was sponsored by the Museum of Ancient and Modern Art in Penn Valley as part of the museum's Discovery Series.

Elston based his talk on the work of paleontologist Robbert Bakker. His theory suggests that plants evolved special defenses - sharp thorns or poisonous chemicals, for example - to avoid being eaten by voracious vegetarian dinosaurs. Dinosaurs, in turn, had to evolve to keep up with the plants.

So they developed sharper teeth to cut through thicker plant flesh, or better digestive systems to handle plant toxins.

"Plants are not passive things that say, 'Oh, please, eat me.'" Elston said. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be any plants." So, over millions of years, plants adapted to dinosaurs, and dinosaurs adapted to plants, he said. 

"This is theory," Elston said. "Nobody knows if it happened, but there seems to have been timing of events between plants and animals." 

 Outside the library, Elston had set up a 22-foot-long plywood replica of a Triceratops for children and adults to look at.

Among the children who attended Thursday night's slide-show was Glenn Hogan, 6, of Grass Valley. He has been learning about dinosaurs through "books, mostly." That and some 150 dinosaur toys at home, said his father, Shaun Hogan.

Later, Elston handed out special glasses to the 35 children and adults in attendance and, using a pair of slide projectors, presented a computer-generated image of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in 3D. The image is one of many he is currently building on computer for use in MAMA educational programs.

During the '70s and '80s, Elston, 44, worked in Los Angeles with Hanna-Barbera filmation, designing such animated characters as the "Masters of the Universe," "Frankenstones," "Tony the Tiger," and "He-Man and She-ra."

He also did research on dinosaur movement and showed through animation how they may have moved for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

Mama Dinosaur TAP Tour

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