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Plants in Mesozoic Time showcases cutting-edge research of broad botanical and paleontological interest from the world's experts on Mesozoic plant life. Each chapter covers a special aspect of a particular plant group – ranging from horsetails to ginkgophytes, from cycads to conifers – and relates it to key innovations in structure, phylogenetic relationships, Mesozoic vegetation, or to animals such as plant-eating dinosaurs.
Plants in Mesozoic Time's geographic scope ranges from Antarctica and Argentina to the western interior of North America, with studies on the reconstruction of the Late Jurassic vegetation of the Morrison Formation and on fossil conifers from Early Cretaceous deposits in Texas and Utah.
Contents
Preface, Dedication, and Acknowledgments / Carole T. Gee
The Career of Ted Delevoryas: Appreciation and Publications / Thomas N. Taylor, Edith L. Taylor, and Charles P. Daghlian
Part 1. Innovations in Mesozoic Plants
1. Architectural Innovation and Developmental Controls in Some Mesozoic Gymnosperms, or, Why Do The Leaf Crowns in Mesozoic Forests Look Tufted? / Ian Sussex, Nancy Kerk, and Carole T. Gee
2. Modern Traits in Early Mesozoic Sphenophytes: The Equisetum-like Cones of Spaciinodum collinsonii with In Situ Spores and Elaters from the Middle Triassic of Antarctica / Andrew B. Schwendemann, Thomas N. Taylor, Edith L. Taylor, Michael Krings, and Jeffrey M. Osborn
3. Pollen and Coprolite Structure in Cycadeoidea (Bennettitales): Implications for Understanding Pollination and Mating Systems in Mesozoic Cycadeoids / Jeffrey M. Osborn and Mackenzie L. Taylor
4. Independent Evolution of Seed Enclosure in the Bennettitales: Evidence from the Anatomically Preserved Cone Foxeoidea connatum gen. et sp. nov. / Gar W. Rothwell and Ruth A. Stockey
5. A Mosaic of Characters in a New Whole-Plant Araucaria, A. delevoryasii Gee sp. nov., from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of Wyoming, U.S.A. / Carole T. Gee and William D. Tidwell
6. Major Innovations in Angiosperm Evolution / David L. Dilcher
7. Implications of Fossil Floral Data on Understanding the Early Evolution of Molecular Developmental Controls of Flowers / David Winship Taylor
Part 2. Phylogeny of Mesozoic Plants
8. Late Triassic Ginkgoleans of North America / Sidney R. Ash
9. Review of the Cycads and Bennettitaleans from the Mesozoic of Argentina / N. Rubén Cúneo, Ignacio Escapa, Liliana Villar de Seoane, Analía Artabe, and Silvia Gnaedinger
10. The Bennettitales (Cycadeoidales): A Preliminary Perspective on This Arguably Enigmatic Group / William L. Crepet and Dennis W. Stevenson
11. Endemism of Early Cretaceous Conifers in Western Gondwana / Sergio Archangelsky and Georgina M. Del Fueyo
12. Oldest Known Dicotyledonous Lianas from the Early Cretaceous of Utah and New Mexico, U.S.A. / William D. Tidwell, Sidney R. Ash, and Brooks B. Britt
Part 3. Ecosystems and Mesozoic Plants
13. Palynological Evidence for Conifer Dominance within a Heterogeneous Landscape in the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation, U.S.A. / Carol L. Hotton and Nina L. Baghai-Riding
14. Mesozoic Plants and Dinosaur Herbivory / P. Martin Sander, Carole T. Gee, Jürgen Hummel, and Marcus Clauss
Contributors
Index
Carole T. Gee is Senior Research Scientist in Paleobotany, Division of Paleontology at the Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, Germany.
"The assortment of writings will interest a broad array of investigators [...] Recommended."
– Choice
"[T]he book will indoubtedly be invaluable to graduate students, faculty, and researchers in the fields of biology, botany, and paleontology."
– American Reference Books Annual, 2011
"It has been some time since there was a volume dedicated to Mesozoic plants [...] This book will have merit as a reference for years to come."
– Kirk R. Johnson, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
"The 14 chapters in this edited volume provide a broad and a fascinating view of the flora of the Mesozoic [...] The range of topics in this book means that there should be something for anyone with an interest in paleobotany [...] "
– Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 86
"[This] volume is immaculately edited, outstandingly readable and beautifully illustrated."
– American Paleontologist
"This book will be a valuable reference for anyone interested in the biology, paleontology, and paleobotany of the Mesozoic flora and fauna including earth and life scientists and academics, plaeontologists, geologists, and environmental scientists. This very detailed book clearly represents a lifetime of study by the author and is a valuable contribution to the literature."
– Plant Science Bulletin
