Work

An early land plant with coiled fertile tips from the upper Silurian (Přídolí) of the Barrandian area (Czech Republic)

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The earliest land plants adapted to the terrestrial environment through physiological and morphological changes, giving rise to differentiated plant lineages. During the Silurian period, however, these plants exhibited uniform external morphology, consisting of leafless, dichotomously branched axes with terminal sporangia. This study focuses on an unusual trilobed structure at the axial tips of a plant fossil from the Přídolí of the Prague Basin. The aim is to provide a detailed description of these structures and interpret their nature. METHODS: Various observational methods were used to examine the fossil, including stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy in low vacuum mode and Keyence 3D microscopy. These approaches together provided an overview of preservation of the specimen and enabled visible surface structures to be mapped. Other methods were also employed (micro-computed tomography, the maceration technique), but these did not yield any results. KEY RESULTS: The observations suggested several possibilities on what the trilobed structures could represent. A presumed reconstruction of the plant was made based on the idea that the two structures could represent the coiled tips of fertile axes. This may indicate an unusual growth pattern for this plant. CONCLUSIONS: The study focused mainly on interpreting the terminal structures and creating a presumed reconstruction of the plant. We propose that the plant gradually developed its axial tips by uncoiling them until they reached maturity. Other possible scenarios are also discussed, as well as a comparison of the plant with other taxa.

Source: Annals of Botany

DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaf301

Authors: Monika Uhlířová, Josef Pšenička, Jakub Sakala

Institutions: Czech Academy of Sciences, Charles University, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geology

Language: English

Topic: Plant Diversity and Evolution

Subfield: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Grantová Agentura České Republiky

Awards: G2117779996, Environmental control on the rise and fall of the earliest land plant assemblages of Silurian volcanic islands of the Prague Basin (Czech Republic)