The Dawn Angiosperms discusses the controversial and conflicting hypotheses of the origin of angiosperms that were thought restricted to the Cretaceous and later ages. Since publishing the first edition of The Dawn Angiosperms in 2010, important progress has been made in this field of science: 1) discovery of new fossil angiosperms from the Jurassic; 2) European colleagues found angiosperm-like pollen from the Triassic; 3) most importantly, the discovery of a perfect flower of the Jurassic. All these advances are at odds with the currently widely accepted evolutionary theories, and thus demand a new wave of renovation in botanical theory. The new version not only includes more new fossil taxa, but also documents them in a more detailed way and corrects many commonly-accepted misconceptions. This revised edition makes related studies and teaching on the early history of angiosperms more realistic, concrete, and tangible rather than speculative, provide solid fossil evidence as raw material fueling related research, and help to winnow truthful botanical hypotheses from other alternatives.
- Introduction
- Suggested angiosperm ancestors
- Angiosperms: characters and criteria
- Background for the plant fossils
- Flowers from the Early Cretaceous
- Flower-related fossils from the Jurassic
- Problematic fossils
- Making of the flower