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Silurian and Devonian Palaeobotany
About.com, Forestry: Archaeopteris - The First Modern Tree.
J.P. Allen, and R.A. Gastaldo (2006): Sedimentology and taphonomy of the Early to Middle Devonian plant-bearing beds of the Trout Valley Formation, Maine. PDF file, In: DiMichele, W.A., and Greb, S. (eds.): Wetlands Through Time: Geological Society of America, Special Publication 399: 57-78.
Joseph E. Armstrong, Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal: Plant diversity. Lecture notes. Go to: The Invasion of Land.
Lorna Ash, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta: Instructional Multimedia, Multimedia Topics, Botany. Go to: Hydrasperman Reproduction. Online and downloadable flash movie.
! Nicholas H. Barton (Edinburgh University), Derek E.G. Briggs (Yale University), Jonathan A. Eisen (University of California, Davis), David B. Goldstein (Duke University Medical Center), and Nipam H. Patel (University of California, Berkeley): Evolution (by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press). This textbook is designed to serve as the primary text for undergraduate courses in evolution. It differs from currently available alternatives in containing more molecular biology than is traditionally the case. Go to: Table of Contents: Some figures and tables free of charge! See: Evolution Figures: Chapter 4.
! R.M. Bateman et al. (1998): Early evolution of land plants: phylogeny, physiology, and ecology of the primary terrestrial radiation. PDF file, Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst., 29: 263-292.
! Debashish Bhattachatya et al. (2009): Eukaryotes (Eukaryota). PDF file, In: S.B. Hedges and S. Kumar (eds.): The Timetree of Life (see here).
L. Battison and M.D. Brasier (2009): Exceptional Preservation of Early Terrestrial Communities in Lacustrine Phosphate One Billion Years Ago. Abstract.
Ernst-Georg Beck, Merian-Schule Freiburg: Biokurs (in German). Go to: Präkambrium: Hadäan (4,6 Milliarden Jahre - 3,8 Milliarden Jahre).
Andrea Bennici (2008): Origin and early evolution of land plants: Problems and considerations. PDF file, Commun Integr Biol., 1: 212-218. See also here, and there.
! Museum of Paleontology (UCMP), University of California at Berkeley, Plantae, Fossil Record: Chart of First Appearances of Major Plant Groups. Each of the taxonomic plant groups in pink boxes can be clicked upon to take you to an introduction.
Michael Bernstein, Washington and New Orleans, March 21-27, 2003: (American Chemical Society, EurekAlert): Scientists find evidence for crucial root in the history of plant evolution.
Boston College: BC Scientist´s Fossil Discovery May Indicate Life on Land Evolved Earlier than Thought.
C. Kevin Boyce (2010): The evolution of plant development in a paleontological context. PDF file, Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 13: 102-107.
C. Kevin Boyce (2008): How green was Cooksonia? -- the importance of size in understanding the early evolution of physiology in the vascular plant lineage. PDF file, Paleobiology, 34: 179-194.
C. Kevin Boyce et al. (2007): Devonian landscape heterogeneity recorded by a giant fungus. PDF file, Geology, 35: 399-402.
C. Kevin Boyce et al. (2003): CHEMICAL EVIDENCE FOR CELL WALL LIGNIFICATION AND THE EVOLUTION OF TRACHEIDS IN EARLY DEVONIAN PLANTS. Int. J. Plant Sci., 164: 691-702.
25th New Phytologist/Colston Research Society Symposium, September 21-22, 2010. Clifton Hill House, University of Bristol, UK: Colonization of the terrestrial environment. PDF file, Abstracts.
! Mark C. Brundrett (2002): Coevolution of roots and mycorrhizas of land plants. PDF file, New Phytologist, 154: 275-304.
Stephen Caine, UK: Links to Models of the Rhynie Chert Plants. Viewed on the Rhynie Chert Flora page, the Aberdeen University Geology Department web site, etc. Ventarura lyonii, from the Windyfied chert, Rhynie, Scotland (showing enlarge section of possible sporangial arrangement). See also (page hosted by the Rhynie chert Research Group, the University of Aberdeen): The Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition in London 2004 (a Rhynie diorama). Some images taken of the exhibit, including a visit by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales (who takes notice of palaeobotany elsewhere?)
Alison Campbell, Penelope Cooke, Kathrin Cass and Kerry Earl, The "Evolution for Teaching" Website Project, University of Waikato, New Zealand: The Evolution of Life. Information about the evolution of life on Earth. Go to: Plant Evolution.
Sean Carrington, Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences, University of the West Indies (UWI), Barbados: BIODIVERSITY I, THE PLANT KINGDOM. An introduction to the world of plants from an evolutionary perspective. Go to: The Conquest of the Land.
! Eric J. Chaisson, Wright Center for Science Education: Cosmic evolution: from big bang to humankind. Based on a course taught at Harvard University. This site offers background information and resources to understand the origins of matter and life in our universe, known as cosmic evolution. Questions from how the universe began to how humans evolved are addressed, using an interdisciplinary approach between life, Earth, space, and physical sciences. Go to: Chemical Evolution.
(?), University of Virginia, Charlottesville: Evolution of Land Plants. Powerpoint presentation.
Paul F. Ciesielski, Dept. Geological Sciences, University of Florida: Evolution of Earth and Life. Go to: Transition of plants to land.
Samuel J. Ciurca, Jr., Rochester, New York: Silurian Plants (under construction). Cooksonia.
Catherine Clabby, The News & Observer Publishing Company: Rocks may tell tale of first land plants. Palaeobotanical research at UNC-Chapel Hill.
! C.J. Cleal and B.A. Thomas (The Geological Conservation Review): Palaeozoic Palaeobotany of Great Britain (PDF file). GCR VOLUME No. 9. Introduction. History of research on British plant fossils. List of sites (Silurian, Devonian, Lower Carboniferous, Upper Carboniferous, Permian). Scroll down to figure 1.1.
J.C. Coates et al. (2011): Plants and the Earth system - past events and future challenges. In PDF, New Phytologist, 89: 370-373.
Richard Cowen, Department of Geology, University of California, Davis: Comparing Plant and Animal Evolution.
Marilyn Davis, Perspectives, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale: LUSH LIFE: What early land plants can tell us about earth’s family tree.
Neil S. Davies and Martin R. Gibling (2010): Cambrian to Devonian evolution of alluvial systems: The sedimentological impact of the earliest land plants. PDF file, Earth-Science Reviews, 98: 171-200.
Anne-Laure Decombeix, Brigitte Meyer-Berthaud, Nick Rowe & Jean Galtier: Diversity of large woody lignophytes preceding the extinction of Archaeopteris: new data from the middle Tournaisian of Thuringia (Germany).
D. Edwards et al. (2002): Hepatic characters in the earliest land plants. Abstract, Nature, 374: 635-636.
! D. Edwards, H. Kerp and H. Hass (1998): Stomata in early land plants: an anatomical and ecophysiological approach. Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 49, Special Issue, pp. 255–278.
! Mike Farabee, Estrella Mountain Community College Center, Avondale, Arizona: On-Line Biology Book. Introductory biology lecture notes. Go to: PALEOBIOLOGY: FOSSILS AND TIME, PALEOBIOLOGY: THE PRECAMBRIAN: LIFE'S GENESIS AND SPREAD, PALEOBIOLOGY: THE EARLY PALEOZOIC, and PALEOBIOLOGY: THE LATE PALEOZOIC.
Ben Fletcher, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield: The role of stomata in the early evolution of land plants, and How the atmosphere affects plants. See also: Modern-day representatives of early land plants.
William E. Friedman and Martha E. Cook (2000): The origin and early evolution of tracheids in vascular plants: integration of palaeobotanical and neobotanical data. Abstract and PDF file, Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 355.
! Patricia G. Gensel (2008): The earliest land plants. The Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 39: 459-477.
Philippe Gerrienne et al. (2011): A Simple Type of Wood in Two Early Devonian Plants. Abstract, Science, 333. See also here (E. Brown, The Sacramento Bee), and there.
Philippe Gerrienne and Paul Gonez (2010): Early evolution of life cycles in embryophytes: A focus on the fossil evidence of gametophyte/sporophyte size and morphological complexity. Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 49: 1-16.
Linda E. Graham, Martha E. Cook, and James S. Busse: The origin of plants: Body plan changes contributing to a major evolutionary radiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 97: 4535-4540, 2000.
! S.F. Greb et al. (2006): Evolution and Importance of Wetlands in Earth History. PDF file, In: DiMichele, W.A., and Greb, S., eds., Wetlands Through Time: Geological Society of America, Special Publication, 399: 1-40. Rhacophyton and Archaeopteris in a Devonian wetland as well as Pennsylvanian, Permian, Triassic and Cretaceous wetland plant reconstructions.
Heckman, D.S., et al. 2001: Molecular evidence for the early colonization of land by fungi and plants. Science 293: 1129-1133.
Blair Hedges and Barbara K. Kennedy (Penn State), EurekAlert: First land plants and fungi changed earth's climate, paving the way for explosive evolution of land animals, new gene study suggests.
Patrick Honecker, University of Cologne: Ancestors of land plants revealed.
HowComYouCom.com: Education 2001, Leaving the Water.
Ann Jelinek et al., Murrindindi Shire Council, Australia: Flora Fossil Site: YEA (PDF file). About Baragwanathia. See also here.
Uwe Kaulfuß, Technische Universität, Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany: Geologisches Oberseminar 2000/2001, Charakterisierung der Eroberung des Festlandes als Habitat. In German (PDF-file).
M.Alan Kazlev, Palaeos.com: Chlorobionta (Green Plants).
M. Alan Kazlev and Toby White: Palaeos - The trace of Life on Earth. The Palaeos Site is dedicated to providing a detailed and - at least in parts - comprehensive overview of the history of life on Earth. Go to: Paleozoic Plants. Reconstructions of a Carboniderous swamp forest (from The Fossil Book - Fenton & Fenton, 1958, Doubleday & Co.), Early Devonian land plants (from Augusta & Burian), and the increasing terrestrial plant root depth penetration with time during the Devonian.
P. Kenrick (2001): Turning over a new leaf. PDF file, Nature, 410: 309-310.
Paul Kenrick, Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, London, UK: Palaeobotany: Fishing for the first plants. Nature 425, 248 - 249.
P. Kenrick (2000): The relationships of vascular plants. PDF file.
! Paul Kenrick & Peter R. Crane: The origin and early evolution of plants on land. PDF file, Nature 1997. See also here.
! Hans Kerp, Palaeobotanical Research Group, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster. Click: "Rhynie Chert" (The Rhynie Chert and its Flora). A depiction of the silica permineralized fossil flora of Rhynie (Scotland), a 400 Million year old flora, which contains a wide diversity of taxa varying from unicellular fungi to the earliest anatomically preserved higher land plants and animal remains. Breathtaking thin section micro-photographs, e.g. in " V. The alternation of generations in early land plants": The male gametophyte with antheridia, the release of sperm from antheridium, etc. Including "The life cycle of Aglaophyton - Lyonophyton", modified after Taylor, Kerp & Hass, 2005, PNAS, v. 102, p. 5892-5897.
! Hans Kerp, Palaeobotanical Research Group, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster: A History of Palaeozoic Forests. An introductory text with many helpful links directly related to the history of Palaeozoic forests. 7 chapters provide information about: The earliest land plants; Towards a tree-like growth habit; The earliest forests; The Carboniferous coal swamp forests; The floral change at the end of the Westphalian; Stefanian and Rotliegend floras; Is there a floral break in the Permian?
M. Krings, LMU München: Mikroorganismen aus den Cherts von Esnost und Combres/Lay (Unterkarbon, Frankreich) sowie Rhynie (Unterdevon, Schottland). Scientific project report (in German).
U. Kutschera, Institut für Biologie, Universität Kassel, Germany, and K.J. Niklas, Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY: The modern theory of biological evolution: an expanded synthesis. Worth to check out: Fig.2 Geological time scale with key events in the history of life, from the formation of the Earth to the present.
Conrad C. Labandeira (2005): Invasion of the continents: cyanobacterial crusts to tree-inhabiting arthropods. In PDF, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 20.
F. Leliaert et al.: Into the deep: new discoveries at the base of the green plant phylogeny. PDF file, BioEssays.
Frederik Leliaert et al.: Phylogeny and Molecular Evolution of the Green Algae. PDF file, Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences.
Patrick T. Martone et al. (2009): Discovery of Lignin in Seaweed Reveals Convergent Evolution of Cell-Wall Architecture. Abstract, Current Biology, Volume 19, Issue 2, 169-175. See also here.
Richard M. McCourt et al. (2004): Charophyte algae and land plant origins. PDF file, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 19.
Brigitte Meyer-Berthaud and Anne-Laure Decombeix (2007): Palaeobotany: A tree without leaves.
Mount Allison University, Canada (mediawiki.mmab.ca): Recap of Archean Proterozoic Life (Powerpoint presentation).
! Palaeobotanical Research Group, Münster, Westfälische Wilhelms University,
Münster, Germany:
History of Palaeozoic Forests,
SILURIAN PLANT FOSSILS.
Link list page with rankings and brief explanations. Images of Silurian cryptospores and Parka decipiens. See also:
THE EARLIEST LIFE.
Link list page with picture rankings. Images of precambrian microfossils and stromatolites.
The links give the most direct connections to pictures available on the web; in many cases they are from sites
that have additional palaeobotanical information. See also:
THE EARLIEST LAND PLANTS.
Link list page with rankings and brief explanations. Images of Rhynia, Rhynia gwynne-vaughanii, Cooksonia,
Cooksonia hemisphaerica, Baragwanathia, Cooksonia pertonii, Aglaophyton major, Lyonophyton rhynienensis, Horneophyton lignieri,
Nothia aphylla, Crenaticaulis, Sawdonia, Sawdonia acanthotheca, Sawdonia ornata, Serrulacaulis furcatus, Rebuchia ovata,
Zosterophyllum divaricatum, Zosterophyllum rhenanum, Psilophyton, Psilophyton crenulatum, Psilophyton dawsonii, Psilophyton dapsile,
Psilophyton ornata, Pertica, Pertica quadrifaria, Asteroxylon, Asteroxylon mackiei. See also:
THE EARLY FORESTS AND THE PROGYMNOSPERMS.
Images of Archaeopteris, Tetraxylopteris schmidtii, Callixylon,
Archaeopteris gaspensis, Archaeopteris halliana, Archaeopteris hibernica. See also:
EARLIEST SEED PLANTS.
Images of Moresnetia, Moresnetia zaleskyi, Elkinsia.
Excellent!
S.C. Morris (1993): The fossil record and the early evolution of the Metazoa. PDF file.
Dennis C. Murphy: Devonian Times. Go to: Who's Who at Red Hill. A survey of Devonian plants (tracheophytes)and animals. Photographs and drawings of Barinophyton, Lepidodendropsis, Archaeopteris, Gillespiea randolphensis, Rhyacophyton ceratangium.
D.L. Nickrent et al. (2000): Multigene phylogeny of land plants with special reference to bryophytes and the earliest land plants. PDF file, Molecular Biology and Evolution: 17: 1885-1895.
! Karl J. Niklas and Ulrich Kutschera (2010): The evolution of the land plant life cycle. PDF file, New Phytologist, 185: 27-41.
! E.G. Nisbet and N.H. Sleep (2001): The habitat and nature of early life. PDF file, Nature, 409.
Malcolm O'Neill and William York, Plant Cell Wall Research, The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia Athens: The Cell Walls of Lower Plants. Project announcement.
C.P. Osborne et al.(2004): Biophysical constraints on the origin of leaves inferred from the fossil record. PDF file, PNAS, 101: 10360-10362.
Sid Perkins, Science now: ScienceShot: Ancient Forest Kept Good Company. Fossil tree stumps in a sandstone quarry near Gilboa, New York.
John Perlin, Eco-Links: The Tree That Changed the World. PDF file, very slow!
! Y.-L. Qiu et al. (2006): The deepest divergences in land plants inferred from phylogenomic evidence. In PDF, PNAS, 103: 15511-15516
Authored by the The Rhynie Chert Research Group, University of Aberdeen, with contributions and support by the Palaeobotanical Research Group, University of Münster, Germany, the Centre for Palynology, University of Sheffield, The Natural History Museum, London, and The Royal Museum, National Museums of Scotland: The Biota of Early Terrestrial Ecosystems, The Rhynie Chert. A resource site for students and teachers covering many aspects of the present knowledge of this unique geological deposit (including a glossary and bibliography pages). The website´s second part provides guidance for teachers in this subject area and as such will require a password to enter (obtainable from the authors).
Sue Rigby, Geology, Geophysics, Environmental Geoscience, Grant Institute,
University of Edinburgh:
COURSE MATERIALS.
Go to: GEP COURSE MATERIALS,
Lecture 3:
The early earth and the origin of life.
PDF file.
Paul Rincon, BBC News Online: Fossils reveal oldest wildfire.
SciQuest.com: Geology, Evolution upset: Oxygen-making microbes came last, not first.
! A.J. Shaw et al.(2011): Bryophyte diversity and evolution: Windows into the early evolution of land plants. In PDF, Am. J. Bot., 98: 352-369. See also here (abstract).
Society of American Foresters, Bethesda, Maryland: A Tree That Changed the World. About Archaeopteris, from the June 1999 issue of "The Forestry Source". See also (by NewsWise): Earliest Modern Tree Lived 360-345 Million Years Ago.
! P. Steemans et al. (2009): Origin and Radiation of the Earliest Vascular Land Plants. In PDF, Science, 324.
Philippe Steemans et al. (2007): Palaeophytogeographical and palaeoecological implications of a miospore assemblage of earliest Devonian (Lochkovian) age from Saudi Arabia. PDF file, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 250: 237-254.
! P. Steemans and E. Javaux (Editors), (Carnets de Géologie / Notebooks on Geology: Memoir 2005/02): Pre-Cambrian to Palaeozoic Palaeopalynology and Palaeobotany. Online articles from a meeting, organized by the NFSR Working Group: "Micropaléontologie végétale et Palynologie (MVP)" and supported by the NFSR, the University of Liège, and the French Community of Belgium (May 11, 2005). Excellent!
W.E. Stein et al. (2012): Surprisingly complex community discovered in the mid-Devonian fossil forest at Gilboa. Abstract, Nature, 483. Numerous Eospermatopteris root systems in life position within a mixed-age stand of trees, large woody rhizomes with adventitious roots.
Hans Steur, Ellecom, The Netherlands: Hans´ Paleobotany Pages.
Fossil plant images from the oldest land plants. Go to:
The evolution of plants.
An introduction. See also:
The oldest land plants (1),
The oldest land plants (2).
Also worth to visit: The comprehensive site about
Cooksonia,a very old land plant: page 1,
and page 2.
Paul K. Strother et al. (2011): Earth´s earliest non-marine eukaryotes. Abstract, Nature 473: 505-509. See also the supplementary information (PDF, 5 MB).
Paul K. Strother (2009): Thalloid carbonaceous incrustations and the asynchronous evolution of embryophyte characters during the Early Paleozoic. PDF file, International Journal of Coal Geology.
Paul K. Strother, Palaeobotany Laboratory, Weston Observatory, Department of Geology & Geophysics, Boston College, Weston, Massachusetts: Links to Resources in Paleobotany, go to: Lectures, "Cryptospores and the Origin of Land Plants" (Powerpoint presentation). Attention, 132 MB!
Ralph E. Taggart, Department of Plant Biology, Department of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University: The First Vascular Land Plants.
A.M.F. Tomescu and G.W. Rothwell (2006): Wetlands before tracheophytes: thalloid terrestrial communities of the Early Silurian Passage Creek biota (Virginia). PDF file, Wetlands Through Time. See also here (Google books).
Nigel H. Trewin, Stephen R. Fayers & Lyall I. Anderson, University of Aberdeen: The Biota of Early Terrestrial Ecosystems: The Rhynie Chert. The "Learning Resource" (updated 08/09/04) is primarily a resource site for students and teachers covering many aspects of the present knowledge of the unique Rhynie Chert deposit and its scientific significance (including a glossary and bibliography pages). The "Suggestions For Tutors" provides guidance for teachers (password protected). This part is primarily aimed at a university Honours degree level. The content is primarily of value in geology teaching, but has relevance to botany, zoology, ecology and history of science.
Susan Trulove, Virginia Tech: EARLIEST MODERN TREE LIVED 360-345 MILLION YEARS AGO.
Matt von Konrat et al. (2010):
A special issue of Phytotaxa dedicated to Bryophytes: The closest living
relatives of early land plants. Editorial (PDF), Phytotaxa, 9: 5-10.
Go to:
Table of Contents (open access).
See especially:
Matt von Konrat et al. (2010):
Early
Land Plants Today (ELPT): How many liverwort species are there? PDF file, Phytotaxa, 9: 22-40.
Ben Waggoner, Department of Biology, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR: Eukaryotes and Multicells: Origin. PDF file.
Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency, (Wayne RESA): Origins of Life.
! Charles H. Wellman and Jane Gray (2000): The microfossil record of early land plants. PDF file, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B, 355: 717-732.
CHARLES H. WELLMAN, PETER L. OSTERLOFF, & UZMA MOHIUDDIN: Fragments of the earliest land plants. Nature Science 18/19.9.2003.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Origin of life.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Rhynie chert.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wattieza. See also Michelle Carr, Cosmos Online: Wattieza is world´s oldest tree. (with reconstruction of the crown portion).
Sabina Wodniok et al. (2011):
Origin
of land plants: Do conjugating green algae. PDF file,
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 11: 104.
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