1. An early snapshot of plant-herbivore interactions: Psilophyton diakanthon sp. nov. from the Early Devonian of Gaspé (Quebec, Canada).
- Author
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Colston CM, Landaw K, and Tomescu AMF
- Subjects
- Quebec, Plants, Canada, Fossils, Biological Evolution, Embryophyta, Ferns
- Abstract
Premise: Trimerophytes are a plexus of early tracheophytes that form the base of the euphyllophyte clade and, thus, represent the link between the earliest land plants and modern-day ferns, sphenophytes, and seed plants. As the best-characterized trimerophyte, the genus Psilophyton occupies a key position in the euphyllophyte fossil record. We describe a new Psilophyton species that has implications for the evolution of plant-animal interactions., Methods: The fossil material is preserved by permineralization in the Lower Devonian (Emsian) Battery Point Formation (Québec, Canada) and was studied in serial sections using the cellulose acetate peel technique., Results: Psilophyton diakanthon sp. nov. differs from other Psilophyton species in possessing fibers that form a discontinuous layer in the inner cortex and two distinct types of spinescent emergences whose anatomy and morphology are consistent with roles in anti-herbivore defense., Conclusions: Psilophyton diakanthon adds another species to an already diverse genus. Its two morphologically distinct types of spinescence suggest that herbivory was rampant in plant-animal interactions and demonstrate that anti-herbivory defenses had reached a previously unrecognized level of sophistication by 400 million years ago, in the Early Devonian., (© 2022 Botanical Society of America.)
- Published
- 2023
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