Morphologically complex plant macrofossils from the Late Silurian of Arctic Canada
In addition to vegetative remains, fertile remains from ten plants, representing seven distinct taxa whose size and complexity are much greater than most contemporaneous fossils, are reported from late Ludlow (Ludfordian) sediments of Bathurst Island in Nunavut, Canada. Evidence for the age of these...
Published in: | American Journal of Botany |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3732/ajb.89.6.1004 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3732/ajb.89.6.1004 |
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crwiley:10.3732/ajb.89.6.1004 2024-06-16T07:38:04+00:00 Morphologically complex plant macrofossils from the Late Silurian of Arctic Canada Kotyk, Michele E. Basinger, James F. Gensel, Patricia G. de Freitas, Tim A. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada 2002 http://dx.doi.org/10.3732/ajb.89.6.1004 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3732/ajb.89.6.1004 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor American Journal of Botany volume 89, issue 6, page 1004-1013 ISSN 0002-9122 1537-2197 journal-article 2002 crwiley https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.89.6.1004 2024-05-31T08:11:29Z In addition to vegetative remains, fertile remains from ten plants, representing seven distinct taxa whose size and complexity are much greater than most contemporaneous fossils, are reported from late Ludlow (Ludfordian) sediments of Bathurst Island in Nunavut, Canada. Evidence for the age of these beds is gathered from stratigraphic relationships and index fossils including conodonts, graptolites, and brachiopods. Zosterophylls dominate the collection, some of which constitute the earliest record of fertile structures arranged in dense clusters and longitudinal rows along axes. Representatives include a plant that resembles Bathurstia , one species of Zosterophyllum , and two specimens that bear affinity to this genus. Distichophytum is also represented, as is a new zosterophyll named Macivera gracilis . The prevalence of sporangial clustering and reduced sporangial stalks in this flora leads to a discussion of the origins and significance of these morphological features. Following a review of some of the other Silurian floras, particularly the Baragwanathia ‐bearing Lower Plant Assemblage of Victoria, Australia, which also shows morphological advancement over the rhyniophytoid‐dominated floras common to Laurussia, it is concluded that the Bathurst Island flora presents the best evidence to date of substantial morphological diversity, complexity, and stature of vascular land plants in this period. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Nunavut Wiley Online Library Arctic Bathurst Island ENVELOPE(-100.002,-100.002,75.752,75.752) Canada Nunavut American Journal of Botany 89 6 1004 1013 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
In addition to vegetative remains, fertile remains from ten plants, representing seven distinct taxa whose size and complexity are much greater than most contemporaneous fossils, are reported from late Ludlow (Ludfordian) sediments of Bathurst Island in Nunavut, Canada. Evidence for the age of these beds is gathered from stratigraphic relationships and index fossils including conodonts, graptolites, and brachiopods. Zosterophylls dominate the collection, some of which constitute the earliest record of fertile structures arranged in dense clusters and longitudinal rows along axes. Representatives include a plant that resembles Bathurstia , one species of Zosterophyllum , and two specimens that bear affinity to this genus. Distichophytum is also represented, as is a new zosterophyll named Macivera gracilis . The prevalence of sporangial clustering and reduced sporangial stalks in this flora leads to a discussion of the origins and significance of these morphological features. Following a review of some of the other Silurian floras, particularly the Baragwanathia ‐bearing Lower Plant Assemblage of Victoria, Australia, which also shows morphological advancement over the rhyniophytoid‐dominated floras common to Laurussia, it is concluded that the Bathurst Island flora presents the best evidence to date of substantial morphological diversity, complexity, and stature of vascular land plants in this period. |
author2 |
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kotyk, Michele E. Basinger, James F. Gensel, Patricia G. de Freitas, Tim A. |
spellingShingle |
Kotyk, Michele E. Basinger, James F. Gensel, Patricia G. de Freitas, Tim A. Morphologically complex plant macrofossils from the Late Silurian of Arctic Canada |
author_facet |
Kotyk, Michele E. Basinger, James F. Gensel, Patricia G. de Freitas, Tim A. |
author_sort |
Kotyk, Michele E. |
title |
Morphologically complex plant macrofossils from the Late Silurian of Arctic Canada |
title_short |
Morphologically complex plant macrofossils from the Late Silurian of Arctic Canada |
title_full |
Morphologically complex plant macrofossils from the Late Silurian of Arctic Canada |
title_fullStr |
Morphologically complex plant macrofossils from the Late Silurian of Arctic Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Morphologically complex plant macrofossils from the Late Silurian of Arctic Canada |
title_sort |
morphologically complex plant macrofossils from the late silurian of arctic canada |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2002 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3732/ajb.89.6.1004 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3732/ajb.89.6.1004 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-100.002,-100.002,75.752,75.752) |
geographic |
Arctic Bathurst Island Canada Nunavut |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Bathurst Island Canada Nunavut |
genre |
Arctic Nunavut |
genre_facet |
Arctic Nunavut |
op_source |
American Journal of Botany volume 89, issue 6, page 1004-1013 ISSN 0002-9122 1537-2197 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.89.6.1004 |
container_title |
American Journal of Botany |
container_volume |
89 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
1004 |
op_container_end_page |
1013 |
_version_ |
1802004798482939904 |