INTRODUCTION
CLASSIFICATION OF PLANT KINGDOM
GEOLOGICAL TIME SCALE
NON-VASCULAR PLANTS
THALLOPHYTA
BRYOPHYTA
FOSSIL ALGAE AND ITS TYPES
FOSSIL FUNGI AND ITS TYPES
VASCULAR PLANTS
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION PATTERN OF PLANTS
CONCLUISON
REFERENCES
The study of the plant life of the geological past is called
Paleobotany. The earliest plant fossils, bacteria, blue green algae
occurring in Pre-Cambrian rock are 3.1 billion years old. The
earliest plants were exclusively aquatic. During evolution these
aquatic plants migrated towards land.
As the conditions on land are quite different from that of aquatic,
various changes/adoptations took place in morphology as well as
anatomy of the land plants. The major changes being development
of a cuticle or epidermis, Vascular tissue system, root and shoot
system and protective covering around the reproductive bodies.
Our knowledge of the plant life of the past has been assembled
from the fragmentary fossil remains preserved in stratified rocks.
The earliest plant fossils recorded in the past are algae which have
been in existence since Precambrian..
Ginkgoales
(Devonian to recent)
These are woody plants increase in birth by
secondary growth. The embryo is
sporophyte and the seed is naked. It can be
further sub class into three types they are ….
1pteridospermae
2cycadophyta
3coniferophyta
b) Gymnospermae
Angiospermae
(Early Cretaceous to Recent)
The flowering plants or angiosporms
appeared during jurassic and became
dominant throughout late mesozoic to
present day. These plant bear whorls which
become seeds. The seeds are enclosed in a
seed care, fruit wall, leaves, trunk, flowers,
fruits, seeds and pollens are preserved as
fossils. It is sub devided into two types
1monocotyledon
2
palmoxylon
C) Angiospermae
Monocotyledoneae
(Early Cretaceous to Recent)
Palmoxylon
(Early Cretaceous to Recent)
CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION
Plant Fossils are significant in the Reconstruction of Plant
Life
Ex: Lepidodendron, Calamites, Sigillaria etc.,
Plant Fossils helps in Reconstruction of Paleoclimate,
Ex: Paleoecological studies.
Correlation between Continents to Continents.
High Resolution Sequence Analysis .
Ex: Small cycles of environmental changes could be
studied.
Plant evolutions record is yet to complete.
Paleoecological studies through plant remains.
References:References:
I.A.C. Seward (1966) , Plant Life Through Ages , Second
Edition,Hafner Publishing Company , Pp 1-4,10,60-73,514-534.
II.A.Lee Mc Alester (1968) , The History of Life, First Edition,Prentice-
Hall of India Pvt Ltd,Pp 82-100.
III.Chester A.Arnold (1947),An Introduction to Paleontology, TMH
Edition, Tata Mc Graw-Hill Publishing Co. Ltd Pp 1-13, 41-61,333-
401.
IV.Dr.P.C.Jain (2006) and Dr M.S. Anan Tharaman,
Paleontology(Paleobiology) Evolution and Animal Distribution, Sixth
Edition,Vishal Publishing Co. Pp 83-106.
V.Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Morphology and Evolution of Fossil
Plants First Edition, Hafner Publishing Company, Pp10-182.
Internet Sources:
I.www.Paleobotany.com
II.www.Wikipedia.com