A global synthesis of gymnosperm families, fossil and extant, providing a new and distinctive perspective on the macroevolutionary biodiversity trends within this group through their 375 million-year history. The stratigraphic ranges of the 84 gymnosperm families are plotted according to their first and last appearances in the fossil record.
A series of 30 full-page colour charts provide the holistic context in which to interpret gymnosperm history. Also included is a systematic coverage of floral kingdoms, biodiversity patterns, insect associations and other fields, traced period by period from the Devonian to Quaternary. With a final chapter on gymnosperm biodiversity trends at the microevolutionary (genera and species) level, taken from a selection of some 13 important localities scattered globally and through the geological column.