Reinvestigation of the marattialean Zhutheca densata (Gu et Zhi) Liu, Li et Hilton from the Lopingian of Southwest China, and its evolutionary implications

0541392 - GLÚ 2021 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Guo, Y. - Zhou, Y. - Pšenička, J. - Bek, Jiří - Yang, S.-L. - Feng, Z.
Reinvestigation of the marattialean Zhutheca densata (Gu et Zhi) Liu, Li et Hilton from the Lopingian of Southwest China, and its evolutionary implications.
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. Roč. 282, November (2020), č. článku 104310. ISSN 0034-6667. E-ISSN 1879-0615
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA19-06728S
Institutional support: RVO:67985831
Keywords : Marattiales * Zhutheca densata * In situ spore * Lopingian * China
OECD category: Paleontology
Impact factor: 1.940, year: 2020
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034666720301032

Marattialeans were the most species-rich fern group in the Lopingian (late Permian) Cathaysian floras in the South China Block. However, most previous studies on marattialean ferns focused on their vegetative morphology, in contrast, their reproductive biology has rarely been examined. New compression materials of Zhutheca densata (Gu et Zhi) Liu, Li et Hilton from the Lopingian Xuanwei Formation in Qujing City, Yunnan Province, Southwest China, were studied and provide additional micromorphological and ultrastructural details about the reproductive organs of this marattialean plant. Reproductive organs of the Z. densata plant are characterized by radially symmetrical synangia in two or three rows on each side of the midvein, four to six exannulate sporangia laterally fused in a synangium, sporangial walls comprising three to four layers of cells, and monolete Laevigatosporites/Latosporites-type in situ spores. The spatiotemporal distribution of marattialean reproductive organswas analyzed based on a thorough comparison of 29 genera recorded in upper Paleozoic strata. Our analysis indicated that, during the Pennsylvanian and Permian periods, marattialeans with radially symmetrical synangia notably decreased in both diversification and distribution, in contrast, marattialeans with bilaterally symmetrical synangia notably increased in both diversification and distribution. After the Lopingian, marattialeanswith bilaterally symmetrical synangia gradually became predominant in terms of their diversification and geographic distribution. Our study sheds new light on the evolution of marattialeans.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0318970