| Abstract Detail
Paleobotany Crepet, William [1], Niklas, Karl [2]. Are the Trimerophytes Monophyletic? In their seminal 1967 paper (Psilophyton princeps: The search for organioc connection), Francis M. Hueber and Harlan P. Banks reinvestigated the status of a "strange, rather simple, Devonian plant" first described in 1859 by Sir J. W. Dawson as a "lycopodiaceous" fossil. The careful reinvestigation by Hueber and Banks established that Dawson's reconstruction was chimeric (an assembly of organically and phylogenetically disconnected fossil plants). Their reconstruction provided an important line of evidence that subsequently led Banks to propose a tripartite reclassification of Devonian tracheophytes in 1968. Here we present phylogenetic analyses that confirm the existence of the three major clades that conform to the essentials of Bank's classical system. However, we discuss evidence suggesting that some critical aspects of Bank's system require reconsideration, particularly the supposition that the Trimerophytina, which contains genera such as Psilophyton, is monophyletic. In passing, we also discuss the phylogenetic "placement" of a curious plant that was historically described by F. O. Bower, D. H. Campbell, and others as "lycopodiaceous".
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1 - Cornell University, Plant Biology Section, 408 Mann Library, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
2 - Cornell University, Department Of Plant Biology, Plant Science Building, Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
Keywords:
Devonian
Trimerophytes.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: PL3, Paleobotany: Honoring Fran Hueber - Session 1
Location: /
Date: Tuesday, July 20th, 2021
Time: 11:00 AM(EDT)
Number: PL3002
Abstract ID:662
Candidate for Awards:None |
