A Comprehensive Assessment of the Fossil Record of Liverworts in Amber

Heinrichs, Jochen; Feldberg, Kathrin; Bechteler, Julia; Regalado, Ledis; Renner, Matt A. M.; Schäfer‐Verwimp, Alfons; Gröhn, Carsten; Müller, Patrick; Schneider, Harald; Krings, Michael

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-813012-4.00012-7

Cited by 19 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 176 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In spite of the comprehensive survey conducted by Grolle & Meister (2004) and recent additions shown in Heinrichs et al (2018) who listed 27 species of liverworts from Baltic amber, the liverwort flora of the Eocene Baltic amber forest has not been fully uncovered and does not seem to reflect the actual liverwort flora in Baltic amber forests due to limited number of non-bark inhabiting genera (e.g., Calypogeia, Cephalozia, Lophozia, Metacalypogeia, Plagiochila, Scapania, Solenostoma, Tetralophozia). More multiple and taxonomically non-biased fossil records are also needed in the study of historical biogeography for establishing more reliable chronograms as constraints on a molecular phylogeny (Feldberg et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Etymology: Named in honour of Dr. Jochen Heinrichs (1969Heinrichs ( -2018 Description: Plant prostrate, 8-10 mm long and 0.4-0.6 mm wide including leaves (Fig.1A) or 1.5 mm long in gemmiferous ascending shoot (Fig.1D); branching not seen. Leaves alternate, succubous, remote to contiguous, patent to divergent, very obliquely inserted, decurrent dorsally, undecurrent ventrally, longer than wide, subrectangular to oval, 0.2-0.5 mm long and 0.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Baltic amber is the richest source of bryophyte fossils from the Palaeogene (Frahm 2008, Grolle & Meister 2004, Heinrichs et al 2018, Tomescu et al 2018. The well-preserved inclusions in amber allow detailed examination of morphological characters which enable species level identification, and a total of 27 liverwort species have so far been recognized from Eocene Baltic amber (Heinrichs et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Geocalyx heinrichsii sp. nov., the first representative of Geocalycaceae (Jungermanniales, Marchantiophyta) in Baltic amber

Katagiri¹

2018

BDE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Geocalyx heinrichsii T.Katag. is described as a new leafy liverwort species from Eocene Baltic amber. It is characterized by (1) small sized shoots less than 1 mm wide including leaves, (2) bifid underleaves, not connate with leaf bases, (3) presence of gemmiferous ascending microphyllous shoot, and (4) 1–2-celled spherical to ellipsoidal gemmae. This is the first fossil record for the genus Geocalyx and for the family Geocalycaceae (Jungermanniales, Marchantiophyta) from Baltic amber, and constitutes an important addition to our knowledge of the Eocene Baltic liverwort flora.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Geocalyx heinrichsii sp. nov., the first representative of Geocalycaceae (Jungermanniales, Marchantiophyta) in Baltic amber

Katagiri¹

2018

BDE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Baltic amber is famous for the excellent preservation of organismic inclusions and represents a favorable source of Paleogene cryptogam fossils, such as liverworts, mosses, fungi, and lichens (Kettunen et al, , , , ; Kaasalainen et al, ; Heinrichs et al, ). Despite the excellent potential for preservation, ferns have only rarely been reported as inclusions from Baltic amber.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How diverse were ferns in the Baltic amber forest?

Sadowski

Seyfullah

Regalado³

et al. 2019

J of Sytematics Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Diverse temperate forest types and a high atmospheric humidity have recently been suggested for the Eocene source area of Baltic amber. However, ferns are astonishingly rare as inclusions in this amber, which is in contrast to other seed‐free land plants, fungi, and lichens. Moreover, the identities of some of the few described putative fern taxa are dubious, and some fossils were even assigned to the Paleozoic seed fern genera Alethopteris, Pecopteris and to the form genus Sphenopteris containing Paleozoic and Mesozoic fern‐like leaf fossils. Here, we review previously described fern inclusions from Baltic amber and identify further fern‐like leaf inclusions as belonging to the extant angiosperm genus Comptonia (sweet ferns, Myricaceae). We conclude that only one taxon, Matonia striata (Matoniaceae), can with confidence be identified as a Polypodiopsida representative. Although “Pecopteris” humboldtiana is so far only known as sterile foliage, its leaf morphology strongly suggests that also this taxon belongs to the Polypodiopsida rather than to any other tracheophyte lineage. We propose accommodating “Pecopteris” humboldtiana in the new genus Berendtiopteris. “Alethopteris” serrata and “Sphenopteris” phyllocladoides are not to be regarded as evidence of ferns from Baltic amber. Reinvestigation of the holotypes of these two taxa did not reveal to which tracheophyte lineages these fossils belong. We suggest that the scarcity of fern remains from Baltic amber may reflect both a relatively low fern diversity in the source area of the fossil resin, and an absence or rarity of epiphytic and climbing ferns as observed in modern temperate forest ecosystems.

show abstract

“…The liverworts described here are also the first epiphytic leafy gametophytes documented in the fossil record outside of amber deposits [see Grolle and Meister (2004), Frahm (2010), and Heinrichs et al (2018) for reviews of bryophytes preserved in amber]. All other non-amber fossils of epiphytic bryophytes are moss protonemata described on angiosperm leaves (Mägdefrau, 1956;Selkirk, 1974;Barclay et al, 2013).…”

Section: Significance Of the Leafy Liverwort Fossilsmentioning

confidence: 77%

Peer Review #2 of "Fossil fern rhizomes as a model system for exploring epiphyte community structure across geologic time: evidence from Patagonia (v0.1)"

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background. In extant ecosystems, complex networks of ecological interactions between organisms can be readily studied. In contrast, understanding of such interactions in ecosystems of the geologic past is incomplete. Specifically, in past terrestrial ecosystems we know comparatively little about plant biotic interactions besides saprotrophy, herbivory, mycorrhizal associations, and oviposition. Due to taphonomic biases, epiphyte communities are particularly rare in the plant-fossil record, despite their prominence in modern ecosystems. Accordingly, little is known about how terrestrial epiphyte communities have changed across geologic time. Here, we describe a tiny in situ fossil epiphyte community that sheds light on plant-animal and plant-plant interactions more than 50 million years ago. Methods. A single silicified Todea (Osmundaceae) rhizome from a new locality of the early Eocene (ca. 52 Ma) Tufolitas Laguna del Hunco (Patagonia, Argentina) was studied in serial thin sections using light microscopy. The community of organisms colonizing the tissues of the rhizome was characterized by identifying the organisms and mapping and quantifying their distribution. A 200 x 200 µm grid was superimposed onto the rhizome cross section, and the colonizers present at each node of the grid were tallied. Results. Preserved in situ, this community offers a rare window onto aspects of ancient ecosystems usually lost to time and taphonomic processes. The community is surprisingly diverse and includes the first fossilized leafy liverworts in South America, also marking the only fossil record of leafy bryophyte epiphytes outside of amber deposits; as well as several types of fungal hyphae and spores; microsclerotia with possible affinities in several ascomycete families; and evidence for oribatid mites. Discussion. The community associated with the Patagonian rhizome enriches our understanding of terrestrial epiphyte communities in the distant past and adds to a growing body of literature on osmundaceous rhizomes as important hosts for component communities in ancient ecosystems, just as they are today. Because osmundaceous rhizomes represent an ecological niche that has remained virtually unchanged over time and space and are abundant in the fossil record, they provide a paleoecological model system that could be used to explore epiphyte community structure through time.

show abstract

A Comprehensive Assessment of the Fossil Record of Liverworts in Amber

Cited by 19 publications

References 176 publications

Geocalyx heinrichsii sp. nov., the first representative of Geocalycaceae (Jungermanniales, Marchantiophyta) in Baltic amber

Geocalyx heinrichsii sp. nov., the first representative of Geocalycaceae (Jungermanniales, Marchantiophyta) in Baltic amber

How diverse were ferns in the Baltic amber forest?

Peer Review #2 of "Fossil fern rhizomes as a model system for exploring epiphyte community structure across geologic time: evidence from Patagonia (v0.1)"

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About