New Fossil Evidence Suggests That Angiosperms Flourished in the Middle Jurassic
Angiosperms are a group of plants with the highest rate of evolution, the largest number of species, the widest distribution and the strongest adaptability. Needless to say, angiosperms are the most important group for the humans. The studies on the origin, evolution and systematics of angiosperms h...
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/3/819 |
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| author | Lei Han Ya Zhao Ming Zhao Jie Sun Bainian Sun Xin Wang |
| author_facet | Lei Han Ya Zhao Ming Zhao Jie Sun Bainian Sun Xin Wang |
| author_sort | Lei Han |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Angiosperms are a group of plants with the highest rate of evolution, the largest number of species, the widest distribution and the strongest adaptability. Needless to say, angiosperms are the most important group for the humans. The studies on the origin, evolution and systematics of angiosperms have been the major challenges in plant sciences. However, the origin and early history of angiosperms remains poorly understood and controversial among paleobotanists. Some paleobotanists insist that there were no angiosperms in the pre-Cretaceous age. However, this conclusion is facing increasing challenges from fossil evidence, especially Early Jurassic <i>Nanjinganthus</i>, which is based on over two hundred specimens of fossil flowers. Studying more fossil plants is the only reliable way to elucidate the origin and early evolution of angiosperms. Here, we document a new species of angiosperms, <i>Qingganninginfructus formosa</i> gen. et sp. nov, and provide the first detailed three-dimensional morphology of <i>Qingganninginfructus</i> gen. nov from the Middle Jurassic of Northwest China. A Micro-CT examination shows that the best-preserved fossil infructescence has eleven samaroid fruits, each with a single basal ovule. Since these fossils are distinct in morphology and organization from all organs of known gymnosperms and angiosperms (the latter are defined by their enclosed ovules), we interpret <i>Qingganninginfructus</i> as a new genus of angiosperms including a new species, <i>Q. formosa</i> gen. et sp. nov., and an unspecified species from the Middle Jurassic of Northwest China. The discovery of this new genus of angiosperms from the Middle Jurassic, in addition to the existing records, undermines the “no angiosperms until the Cretaceous” stereotype and updates the perspective on the origin and early history of angiosperms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:16:54Z |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:16:54Z |
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| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-143631cc1f454347aa0d36d63fcafa322023-11-17T12:12:48ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292023-03-0113381910.3390/life13030819New Fossil Evidence Suggests That Angiosperms Flourished in the Middle JurassicLei Han0Ya Zhao1Ming Zhao2Jie Sun3Bainian Sun4Xin Wang5Key Laboratory of Minerals Resources in Western China (Gansu Province), School of Earth Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaNingxia Geological Museum, 301 Eastern People’s Square Street, Yinchuan 750000, ChinaNingxia Geological Museum, 301 Eastern People’s Square Street, Yinchuan 750000, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory of Early Life and Environments, State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, ChinaKey Laboratory of Minerals Resources in Western China (Gansu Province), School of Earth Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, ChinaAngiosperms are a group of plants with the highest rate of evolution, the largest number of species, the widest distribution and the strongest adaptability. Needless to say, angiosperms are the most important group for the humans. The studies on the origin, evolution and systematics of angiosperms have been the major challenges in plant sciences. However, the origin and early history of angiosperms remains poorly understood and controversial among paleobotanists. Some paleobotanists insist that there were no angiosperms in the pre-Cretaceous age. However, this conclusion is facing increasing challenges from fossil evidence, especially Early Jurassic <i>Nanjinganthus</i>, which is based on over two hundred specimens of fossil flowers. Studying more fossil plants is the only reliable way to elucidate the origin and early evolution of angiosperms. Here, we document a new species of angiosperms, <i>Qingganninginfructus formosa</i> gen. et sp. nov, and provide the first detailed three-dimensional morphology of <i>Qingganninginfructus</i> gen. nov from the Middle Jurassic of Northwest China. A Micro-CT examination shows that the best-preserved fossil infructescence has eleven samaroid fruits, each with a single basal ovule. Since these fossils are distinct in morphology and organization from all organs of known gymnosperms and angiosperms (the latter are defined by their enclosed ovules), we interpret <i>Qingganninginfructus</i> as a new genus of angiosperms including a new species, <i>Q. formosa</i> gen. et sp. nov., and an unspecified species from the Middle Jurassic of Northwest China. The discovery of this new genus of angiosperms from the Middle Jurassic, in addition to the existing records, undermines the “no angiosperms until the Cretaceous” stereotype and updates the perspective on the origin and early history of angiosperms.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/3/819angiospermsMiddle JurassicNorthwest ChinaMicro-CT<i>Qingganninginfructus</i> |
| spellingShingle | Lei Han Ya Zhao Ming Zhao Jie Sun Bainian Sun Xin Wang New Fossil Evidence Suggests That Angiosperms Flourished in the Middle Jurassic Life angiosperms Middle Jurassic Northwest China Micro-CT <i>Qingganninginfructus</i> |
| title | New Fossil Evidence Suggests That Angiosperms Flourished in the Middle Jurassic |
| title_full | New Fossil Evidence Suggests That Angiosperms Flourished in the Middle Jurassic |
| title_fullStr | New Fossil Evidence Suggests That Angiosperms Flourished in the Middle Jurassic |
| title_full_unstemmed | New Fossil Evidence Suggests That Angiosperms Flourished in the Middle Jurassic |
| title_short | New Fossil Evidence Suggests That Angiosperms Flourished in the Middle Jurassic |
| title_sort | new fossil evidence suggests that angiosperms flourished in the middle jurassic |
| topic | angiosperms Middle Jurassic Northwest China Micro-CT <i>Qingganninginfructus</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/3/819 |
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