Parallel evolution of angiosperm-like venation in Peltaspermales
- Author(s)
- Mario Coiro, Stephan McLoughlin, Margret Steinhorsdottir, Vivi Vadja, Dolev Fabricant, Leyla Jean Seyfullah
- Abstract
Leaf venation is a pivotal trait in the success of vascular plants. Whereas gymnosperms have single or sparsely branched parallel veins, angiosperms developed a hierarchical structure of veins that form a complex reticulum. Its physiological consequences are considered to have enabled angiosperms to dominate terrestrial ecosystems in the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Although a hierarchical-reticulate venation also occurs in some groups of extinct seed plants, it is unclear whether these are stem relatives of angiosperms or have evolved these traits in parallel. Here, we re-examine the morphology of the enigmatic foliage taxon Furcula, a potential early Mesozoic angiosperm relative, and argue that its hierarchical vein network represents convergent evolution (in the Late Triassic) with flowering plants (which developed in the Early Cretaceous) based on details of vein architecture and the absence of angiosperm-like stomata and guard cells. We suggest that its nearest relatives are Peltaspermales similar to Scytophyllum and Vittaephyllum, the latter being a genus that originated during the Late Triassic (Carnian) and shares a hierarchical vein system with Furcula. We further suggest that the evolution of hierarchical venation systems in the early Permian, the Late Triassic, and the Early Cretaceous represent ‘natural experiments’ that might help resolve the selective pressures enabling this trait to evolve.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Palaeontology
- External organisation(s)
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, Montclair, NJ, 07043, USA., Stockholm University
- Journal
- New Phytologist
- Volume
- 242
- Pages
- 2845-2856
- No. of pages
- 12
- ISSN
- 0028-646X
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19726
- Publication date
- 2024
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106008 Botany, 105117 Palaeobotany, 106029 Plant morphology, 106012 Evolutionary research
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Plant Science, Palaeontology, Physiology
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 15 - Life on Land
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/10473b01-c211-4b91-85fe-7ebfb9a75d24