Dinosaur extinction was drawn out; insects a possibility

Bonnie Malkin has an interesting story on the Telegraph today:

They included some of the largest and most powerful creatures to ever roam the earth, but the downfall of the dinosaurs may be attributable to nothing more fearsome than the humble biting insect.

Disease spread by mosquitos, ticks and mites could have been a major factor in the demise of the ancient reptiles, according to a new theory.

Research by George Poinar, a professor of zoology at Oregon State University in America, also found an explosion in the number of insects would have changed the nature of plant life on Earth, making it harder for dinosaurs to survive.

Bees and other pollinators helped to promote the rapid spread of flowering plants, leading to the loss of vegetarian dinosaurs' traditional food sources.

As the plant-eating dinosaurs declined, so would their predators.... dinosaur extinction was drawn out over hundreds of thousands or even millions of years....