Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana Volumen 66, núm. 1, 2014, p. 53-63 http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2014v66n1a5

Assembling extinct plants from their isolated parts

Steven R. Manchester^1,*, Laura Calvillo-Canadell², Sergio R.S. Cevallos-Ferriz²

¹ 214 Florida Museum of Natural History, Dickinson Hall, Museum Road & Newell Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611
² Instituto de Geología, UNAM; Ciudad Universitaria, Circuito de la Investigación Científica, Copilco el Alto, Coyoacan; 04510; México D.F.

^* This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Fossils have always been an intriguing and spectacular source of information for naturalists who discuss how life and diversity came about. In plants, it is difficult to find in the fossil record all organs or plant parts in connection to each other. Thus, many angiosperms are sketched as undefined entities that somehow resemble an extant relative. Nevertheless, several examples of whole plant reconstructions based on extensive collection of fossil parts have been published through the years. Two methods have been used to reconstruct fossil plants: 1) Through organic connections among the different organs, and 2) concurrent location of fossil parts (seed, leaves, flowers, etc.) in the same locality and across localities. In the latter case, the argument can be strengthened by similarities of epidermal anatomy. The association of organs gives a more complete picture of fossils plants and it can help to make better taxonomic inferences, as they provide a morphological tool about plants that grew in the past. This information may as well be used in other areas, such as biogeography or phylogenetics.

Keywords: Fossil plants, organic connection, reconstruction, morphological tool, association.