Did flowering plants appear earlier than the fossil record indicates? Two papers independently conclude they did - and suggest what fossil evidence we should look for.
Tag - angiosperms
Alun Salt
Integrative approaches to understanding angiosperm origins and diversity
The rise of angiosperms should be studied as part of the global increase in biodiversity.
botanyone
Polyploidy and interspecific hybridization shape adaptation, speciation and evolution
About half of all higher plant species are recognizable as evolutionarily recent polyploids, where multiple whole genomes or sets of chromosomes have come together from close ancestors. Additionally, over evolutionary...
Photosynthetic plasticity and survival across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary
Why did Gingko almost disappear during the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction when ferns did so well? The answer has relevance for future atmospheric changes.
Stomatal cell wall composition: distinct structural patterns in different phylogenetic groups
Stomata are pores regulating gas exchange in land plants. Stomatal morphology has remained largely consistent through ∼400 million years of plant evolution, though cell wall composition has changed. Shtein et al...
Amborella trichopoda helps reveal features of the first flowering plants
It's difficult to peer into the past to see the first flowering plant, but Charlie Scutt shows how an ancestor in the modern-era provides some clues as to what it looked like.
Guest Author
Genetic sex determination and sexual instability in Amborella trichopoda
Amborella trichopoda, the sister species of all other extant angiosperms, is typically dioecious, producing male and female flowers on separate individuals. Anger et al. map sex phenotypes onto a phylogeny of basally...
Why should we investigate the morphological disparity of plant clades?
Macroevolution of major clades is often studied by plotting their taxonomic diversity through time. It is equally informative, but less commonplace, to investigate how clades explore anatomical ‘design’ space by...
Grass – potential killer or just misunderstood?
I remember reading that grass had a huge impact on ecosystems, but maybe missed its best chance to become famous. It’s possible grass would have been known as the killer of the dinosaurs, if a meteorite...
High-impact research
Plant species that survived the K–Pg extinction event had fast-growth ecological strategies corresponding to high assimilation rates & low carbon investment
Nigel Chaffey
Clear way ahead for leaf research
Scientific Data: an open-access, online-only journal for descriptions of scientifically valuable datasets, to help publish, discover & reuse research data.
One of a kind…
Rare and monotypic Amborella is probably the living – extant – flowering plant closest evolutionarily to the first true member of the angiosperm group.
Caught in the act…
A revelation concerning amber-encased plant material suggests current sexual reproduction in angiosperms may have changed little in over 100 million years.
Highlight on diversity, ecology and evolution of extrafloral nectaries
Plants in over 100 families bear extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), which secrete a carbohydrate-rich food that attracts ants and other arthropods. By fostering ecologically important protective mutualisms, EFNs play a...
