What kind of plant is the Glossopteris flora?
Glossopteris was a woody, seed-bearing shrub or tree, some apparently reaching 30 meters tall. They had a softwood interior that resembles conifers of the family Araucariaceae.
Where is the Glossopteris flora?
Glossopteris flora The fossil flora that succeeds the Permian glacial deposits of South Africa, Australia, South America, and Antarctica. It grew in a cold, wet climate, while the flora of North America and Europe existed under warm conditions.
What is the significance of the Glossopteris flora?
The distribution of this plant was among the first evidence for continental drift. Glossopteris fossils provide important evidence for currently accepted distribution of continental plates in the Permian period that ended 250 million years ago.
What are Glossopteris plants?
Glossopteris, genus of fossilized woody plants known from rocks that have been dated to the Permian and Triassic periods (roughly 300 to 200 million years ago), deposited on the southern supercontinent of Gondwana. Glossopteris occurred in a variety of growth forms.
What do Glossopteris fossils tell us?
Glossopteris fossils provide evidence that supercontinent Pangaea existed as the continents that made up Pangaea now have coal deposits that "match" the connected continents (like puzzle pieces fitting together). Glossopteris also provided paleobotanists information on plant life millions of years ago.
What was the climate where the Glossopteris grow?
It grew in a cold, wet climate, while the flora of North America and Europe existed under warm conditions. Plants with elongate, tongue-shaped leaves dominated the southern flora, with the genera Glossopteris and Gangamopteris being among the best known.
Where can you find Glossopteris?
Glossopteris fossils are found on all of the southern continents. They have been found in Australia, South America, Africa, India, and Antarctica. Because the fossil leaves are found in thick mats scientists think that glossopteris were deciduous plants.
What does the presence of Glossopteris flora suggest about the locations of the continents in the past?
Terms in this set (17) The occurrence of Glossopteris on landmasses that are now separated by oceans indicates that Pangaea once existed. Mesosaurus and Lystrosaurus fossils have been found in places now separated by oceans.
What did the discovery of the Glossopteris lead scientist to believe?
During the first half of the 20th century, geologist Eduard Suess discovered that fossils of the extinct seed fern Glossopteris could be found on three different continents. This led him to believe that, at one time, the continents had formed one gigantic supercontinent, and later drifted apart.
Can tropical plants like Glossopteris survive in Antarctica?
The most startling and unlikely environment for Glossopteris was cold, windy, formidable Antarctica. During the Permian however, Antarctica was positioned quite a distance from the South Polar region, and its climate 260-240 million years ago was temperate to sub-tropical.
What do Glossopteris fossils indicate about Australia's climate?
Glossopteris fossils are found throughout the Southern hemisphere. These fossils indicate that the environment was once a cool rainforest.
On which continents were fossils of the Glossopteris found?
Glossopteris ferns had very heavy seeds that could not move by wind or drift on ocean currents. Fossils have been found on all the southern continents – Australia, Antarctica, India, South Africa and South America.
Can tropical plants like Glossopteris survive in Antarctica?
The most startling and unlikely environment for Glossopteris was cold, windy, formidable Antarctica. During the Permian however, Antarctica was positioned quite a distance from the South Polar region, and its climate 260-240 million years ago was temperate to sub-tropical.
Where are fossils of Mesosaurus found today?
Remains of Mesosaurus, a freshwater crocodile-like reptile that lived during the early Permian (between 286 and 258 million years ago), are found solely in Southern Africa and Eastern South America.
What do Glossopteris fossils indicate about Australia's climate?
Glossopteris fossils are found throughout the Southern hemisphere. These fossils indicate that the environment was once a cool rainforest.
What is the name of the plant that was fossilized in a 250 million years ago?
Gigantopterids, an extinct plant group that lived some 250 million years ago, may be the oldest relatives of roses, daffodils and other flowering plants. Fossilized deposits of gigantopterids contain oleanane – an organic chemical found in modern flowering plants but absent in pines and other seed plants.
When did Glossopteris go extinct?
Towards the end of the Permian period (299-252 million years ago), a global mass extinction occurred that was caused primarily by volcanic activity...
Why is Glossopteris important?
Glossopteris fossils provide evidence that supercontinent Pangaea existed as the continents that made up Pangaea now have coal deposits that "match...
What are Glossopteris fossils?
Glossopteris was a prevalent seed fern that flourished during the Permian and Triassic periods. Fossils of Glossopteris are found in rocks that inc...
Where are Glossopteris fossils found?
Glossopteris flourished in Gondwana, which is now the present-day continents of South America, Australia, Africa, and Antarctica. Large numbers of...
What is Glossopteris fossil?
Glossopteris should strictly be used to refer to the distinctive spathulate fossil leaves with reticulate venation, however, the term has also been used to refer to the parent plant as a whole.
Who discovered Glossopteris?
The first Antarctic specimens of Glossopteris were discovered by members of Robert Scott 's doomed Terra Nova Expedition. The expedition members abandoned much of their gear in an effort to reduce their load, but kept 35 pounds of Glossopteris fossils; these were found alongside their bodies.
What is the name of the fern that grows in the Permian order?
Glossopteris is the largest and best-known genus of the extinct Permian order of seed ferns known as Glossopteridales (also known as Arberiales, Ottokariales, or Dictyopteridiales). The genus Glossopteris refers only to leaves, within a framework of form genera used in paleobotany. (For likely reproductive organs see Glossopteridaceae .) Species of Glossopteris were widespread over the supercontinent of Gondwana during the Permian epoch, extending to high polar latitudes. Glossopteris fossils were critical in recognizing former connections between the various fragments of Gondwana: South America, Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica.
Where are glossopterid fossils found?
However, in recent years a few disparate localities in Morocco, Oman, Anatolia, the western part of the island of New Guinea, Thailand and Laos have yielded fossils that are of possible glossopterid affinity.
What fossil group is used as biogeographic evidence for continental drift, and land bridging?
Distribution of four Permian and Triassic fossil groups used as biogeographic evidence for continental drift, and land bridging. Location of Glossopteris remains shown by blue crosses
What are the other groups of Glossopterids?
Most recent phylogenetic analyses favour placement of glossopterids as sister to a large group including Corystospermales, Caytoniales, Bennettitales, Pentoxylales, Gnetales (in some analyses), and angiosperms.
When did Glossopteridales become extinct?
The Glossopteridales arose in the Southern Hemisphere around the beginning of the Permian Period ( 298.9 million years ago ), but became extinct during the end-Permian (Changhsingian) mass extinction. The putative persistence of Glossopteris into younger strata is commonly invoked on the basis of the distribution of dispersed taeniate bisaccate ...
What is the Glossopteris Flora?
These outcrops contain the record of the so-called “pure Glossopteris Flora”, composed of plant assemblages with a small number of northern hemisphere taxa and total absence of elements such as Alethopteris, Sphenophyllum and Annularia ( Bernardes-de-Oliveira, 1980 ). The Irapuá Bed flora corresponds to Taphoflora C of Rösler (1978), characterized by the predominance of the genus Glossopteris amongst the glossopterid leaves, and by the scarcity of lycophytes. The Bainha outcrop is considered to be the typical locality of Taphoflora C, denoted by Rösler (1978) as the “Criciúma” locality (locality 21 RB/SC of his Fig. 2, p. 88 in Rösler, 1978 ).
What is the Triassic flora?
In place of the Glossopteris flora of the Permian, the Triassic flora is one dominated by Dicroidium [ Thinnfeldia ]. Sphenopteris, Cladophlebis, Ginkgoites, Baiera, Taeniopteris, and Phyllotheca are characteristic associated forms. This change is reflected in the microflora by the replacement of the Late Permian Striatites amplus–Dulhuntyspora parvolitha assemblage by an assemblage containing Quadrisporites horridus, Nuskoisporites radiatus, and Trizonaesporites sp., and distinctive forms of Alisporites. In Western Australia a different microflora containing Lundbladispora and distinctive forms of Taeniaesporites and Kraeuselisporites occurs with a very early Triassic marine fauna ( Balme, 1963 ). The relationship of this microflora to those in eastern Australia is in doubt. Taeniaesporites occurs in the earliest Triassic assemblages in the east, but does not become abundant until higher in the sequence, where it is joined by Aratrisporites.
Glossopteris flora
Glossopteris flora The fossil flora that succeeds the Permian glacial deposits of South Africa, Australia, South America, and Antarctica. It grew in a cold, wet climate, while the flora of North America and Europe existed under warm conditions.
Glossopteris flora
Glossopteris flora The Permian glacial deposits of S. Africa, Australia, S. America, and Antarctica are succeeded by beds containing a flora very different from that of N. America and Europe. The flora of the south grew in a cold, wet climate, while that of the north existed under warm conditions.
What is Glossopteris?
From the Latin word gloss (meaning tongue) and pteris (meaning fern), Glossopteris was a shrub or tree-sized plant that covered large portions of the supercontinent Gondwana. Over seventy different Glossopteris species have been identified from fossils scattered throughout South America, Africa, Australia, India, and the Antarctic. Glossopteris was part of a primitive gymnosperm order called Glossopteridales and flourished during the Permian and Triassic periods, roughly 200-300 million years ago. This species eventually perished due to extensive volcanic activity in Siberia, causing massive global extinction.
What is Glossopteris' habitat?
Glossopteris was known to have inhabited different habitats, such as swamps and temperate forests. Their varied morphology suggests adaptions to their habitats.
What fossils show that Pangaea was a supercontinent?
Glossopteris fossils provide evidence that supercontinent Pangaea existed as the continents that made up Pangaea now have coal deposits that "match" the connected continents (like puzzle pieces fitting together). Glossopteris also provided paleobotanists information on plant life millions of years ago.
What are the fossils of Glossopteris?
Glossopteris fossils give evidence to the unique morphology of this primitive species. The unusual shape of Glossopteris leaves, large, long, and narrow, makes the fossils easy to identify. The size of the leaves and plant parts give paleobotanists information on the distinctive structure of the plant. Some Glossopteris species developed leaves as long as one meter; some Glossopteris species grew up to 30 meters high. The numerous species of Glossopteris were varied and unique as they populated different climate zones such as marshy bogs and temperate forests.
How many Glossopteris species are there?
With over 70 known species of Glossopteris currently identified, paleobotanists and geologists can acquire essential information about the climate, geology, and plant morphology of the Permian and Triassic periods in Gondwana.
Where did Glossopteris originate?
Approximately 300 million years ago, Glossopteris began flourishing on the supercontinent Gondwana. The formation of Pangaea was complete about 50 million years later when Gondwana and Laurasia completely joined together. Gondwana contained the present-day continents of South America, Africa, Australia, India, and Antarctica.
Is Glossopteris a deciduous plant?
Scientists believe that Glossopteris was deciduous, meaning they shed leaves seasonally. Fossils with heavy layers of Glossopteris leaves have been found, indicating leaf layer buildup over time. Fossil evidence shows the presence of abscission zones or areas of growth near the leaf base, which enable a leaf to drop due to seasonal temperature changes. Small bud growths have also been identified on Glossopteris fossils. Glossopteris leaves were sessile, as they did not have a petiole or stalk that attached the leaf to the stem.
What flora was found in the beginning of the Permian?
Glossopteris flora in the beginning of the Permian. The
What time period is Dicroidiumflora?
Dicroidiumflora and Ptilophyllumflora of Permian, Triassic and Lower Cretaceous time. The
What are the three major assemblages of the Gondwana basins of Orissa?
These Gondwana sediments, ranging from Asselian to Albian in age, contain remnants of three basic floral assemblages i.e. Glossopteris Assemblage, Dicroidium Assemblage and Ptilophyllum Assemblage which can be recognized through the Permian, Triassic and Early Cretaceous, respectively. The megafloral assemblages of different basins of this state are discussed briefly. This report mainly deals with the plant species diversification in different lithological formations and the development of flora in the Gondwana basins of Orissa. A number of successive megafloras are recognized. Among those, leaves are the dominant part of the preserved flora, followed by fruits and roots. No wood parts are preserved in the major basins. These pre-angiospermic floras have been systematically analyzed to depict the evolutionary trends, and palaeofloristics of these basins. The distribution of plant fossils in different formations of these basins depicts provincialism in Gondwana flora within the Orissa.
Is Glossopteris flora indigenous?
Evidently Glossopteris flora grew as an indigenous
Overview
History
The Glossopteridales arose in the Southern Hemisphere around the beginning of the Permian Period (298.9 million years ago), but became extinct during the end-Permian (Changhsingian) mass extinction. The putative persistence of Glossopteris into younger strata is commonly invoked on the basis of the distribution of dispersed taeniate bisaccate pollen. However, this category of p…
Taxonomy
Long considered a fern after its discovery in the 1820s, it was later assigned to the gymnosperms. The genus is placed in the division Pteridospermatophyta. In reality, many of the plant groups included within this division are only distantly related to one another. Glossopterids' relationships with other groups remain obscure. Most recent phylogenetic analyses favour placement of glossopterids as sister to a large group including Corystospermales, Caytoniales, Bennettitales, P…
Description
Glossopteris was a woody, seed-bearing shrub or tree, some apparently reaching 30 meters tall. They had a softwood interior that resembles conifers of the family Araucariaceae. Seeds were borne on one side of variably branched or fused structures, and microsporangia containing pollen were borne in clusters at the tips of slender filaments. Both the seed- and pollen-bearing organs were p…
Paleoecology
They are interpreted to have grown in very wet soil conditions, similar to the modern Bald Cypress. The leaves ranged from about 2 cm to over 30 cm in length.
The profile of glossopterid trees is largely speculative as complete trees have not been preserved. However, based on analogies with modern high-latitude plants Glossopteris trees probably tapered upwards like a Christmas tree and were relatively widely spaced to take advantage of th…
Outcrops in Brazil
The first investigation of a Glossopteris flora associated with coal seams within a paleogeographic and palaeoclimatic context, in the Paraná Basin, southern Brazil, was that by geologist Israel Charles White in 1908. This allowed correlation between Gondwanan coal deposits in southern Brazil and those documented in South Africa, Australia, India and Antarctica, and showed that this flora flourished in latitudes near the south pole.
Sources
• Brongniart, A. 1828. Prodrome d’une histoire des végétaux fossiles. Paris. 223 pp.
• Brongniart, A. 1832. Histoire des végétaux fossiles ou recherches botaniques et géologiques sur les végétaux renfermés dans les diverses couches du globe. G. Dufour and E. D’Ocagne, Paris 1: 265–288.
• Anderson, H.M. & Anderson, J.M. 1985. The Palaeoflora of Southern Africa: Prodromus of Southern African Megafloras, Devonian to Lower Cretaceous. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. …
• Brongniart, A. 1828. Prodrome d’une histoire des végétaux fossiles. Paris. 223 pp.
• Brongniart, A. 1832. Histoire des végétaux fossiles ou recherches botaniques et géologiques sur les végétaux renfermés dans les diverses couches du globe. G. Dufour and E. D’Ocagne, Paris 1: 265–288.
• Anderson, H.M. & Anderson, J.M. 1985. The Palaeoflora of Southern Africa: Prodromus of Southern African Megafloras, Devonian to Lower Cretaceous. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. 416 pp.
External links
• Glossopteris