A hidden cradle of plant evolution in Permian tropical lowlands
Blomenkemper, P.; Kerp, H.; Abu Hamad, A.; DiMichele, W.A.; Bomfleur, B. (2018). A hidden cradle of plant evolution in Permian tropical lowlands. Science (Wash.) 362(6421): 1414-1416. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aau4061
In: Science (Washington). American Association for the Advancement of Science: New York, N.Y. ISSN 0036-8075; e-ISSN 1095-9203, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Blomenkemper, P.
- Kerp, H.
- Abu Hamad, A.
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- DiMichele, W.A.
- Bomfleur, B.
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| Abstract |
The latitudinal biodiversity gradient today has deep roots in the evolutionary history of Earth’s biota over geologic time. In the marine realm, earliest fossil occurrences at low latitudes reveal a tropical cradle for many animal groups. However, the terrestrial fossil record—especially from drier environments that are thought to drive evolutionary innovation—is sparse. We present mixed plant-fossil assemblages from Permian equatorial lowlands in present-day Jordan that harbor precocious records of three major seed-plant lineages that all became dominant during the Mesozoic, including the oldest representative of any living conifer family. These finds offer a glimpse of the early evolutionary origins of modern plant groups in disturbance-prone tropical habitats that are usually hidden from observation. |
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