Searching for early angiosperms is a riveting activity in botany because it helps to resolve the phyiogenetic relationships among seed plants and among angiosperms themselves. One of the challenges for this job is what the target fossils look like. Most possibly early angiosperms may elude our scrutiny with gymnospermous appearances. This possibility becomes a reality in a Jurassic plant, Solaranthus gen. nov, which bears a peltaspermalean appearance and enclosed ovules. According to knowledge available hitherto, the latter feature makes it an angiosperm. However, such a feature is more likely to be eclipsed by its gymnospermous appearance. The early age and unexpected character assemblage of Solaranthus urge for a fresh look on the assumed-simple relationship between angiosperms and gymnosperms. Its resemblance to the order Peltaspermales favors the Mostly Male Theory.
The Yah＇an Formation of the Ordos Basin is a sequence of four members, consisting of si- liciclastic sediments deposited in alluvial, lacustrine and mire settings during the Middle Jurassic. Samples collected from Members Two and Four contain abundant blackened plant material identified through standard analytical techniques as fusain （fossil charcoal）. The occurrence of fusain in fluvial sandstones at multiple horizons in the outcrops, combined with the previously reported high concentra- tion of inertinite in the coals of Member One, indicates that paleowildfire was a common occurrence in the Ordos Basin during Yan＇an deposition. Sedimentary evidence from Yan＇an outcrops suggests that the paleoclimate was seasonal during deposition of Members Two through Four, which may have contributed to the wildfire frequency. The presence of fusain in the Yah＇an Formation indicates that atmospheric oxygen levels were clearly above the minimum required for sustained combustion during the Middle Jurassic. This conclusion contradicts previous geochemical models for paleoatmospheric composition, but supports more recent studies.
The origin of angiosperms has been tantalizing botanists for centuries. Despite the efforts of palaeobotanists, most of the pre-Cretaceous angiosperms are regarded either non-convincing or misdated. The applications of SEM and LM （light microscope） enable us to recognize a coalified fossil plant, Xingxueanthus sinensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Haifanggou Formation （Middle Jurassic, 〉160 Ma） in western Liaoning, China. Xingxueanthus is an ＂inflorescence＂ with more than 20 female units spirally arranged. Each female unit is situated in the axii of a bract. The female unit is composed of an ovule-container and a style-like projection at the top. There is a vertical column bearing several ovules in the ovule-container. The general morphology and the internal structure of Xingxueanthus distinguish itself from any known fossil and extant gymnosperms, and its structures are more comparable to those of angiosperms. Xingxueanthus, if taken as a gymnosperm, would represent a new class, demonstrate an evolutionarily advanced status of ovule-protection in gymnosperms never seen before, and provide new insights into the origin of angiospermy. Alternatively, if taken as an angiosperm, together with Schmeissneria, it would increase the diversity of Jurassic angiosperms, which has been underestimated for a long time, and suggest a much earlier origin of angiospermy than currently accepted.
Chuaria is one of the few globally distributed macrofossil pioneers documented in the Precambrian. It is perhaps the most controversial fossil in term of its affinity despite more than one hundred years of study. Many mutually exclusive affinities have been suggested for this frequently encountered fossil. Although often treated as a multicellular alga, this interpretation remains inconclusive because the lacking unambiguous demonstration of cellular structures. In this paper the cellular details of Chuaria are clearly revealed for the first time. The cell walls in Chuaria suggest that it is a multicellular eukaryotic alga, in agreement with the latest biogeochemical analyses. Different thicknesses of cell walls suggest primary cellular differentiation in this organism. Membrane-like structures within the cells (the first to be reported in Precambrian fossils) imply a eukaryotic nature. This study partially resolves the century-long controversy over the affinity of Chuaria, and makes Chuaria one of the few recognized multicellular eukaryotes before the Neoproterozoic glaciation.
WANG XinYUAN XunLaiZHOU ChuanMingDU KaiHeGONG Miao
According to the classic doctrine of angiosperm evolution,the archetype carpel in angiosperms is of plicate form.However,this concept is facing increasing challenges from the systematics based on molecular data,which now takes ascidiate carpel as ancestral.This reorientation in evolutionary thinking cannot be fully achieved unless there is supporting fossil evidence.Here a fruit, named Liaoningfructus,is reported from the famous Yixian Formation(Early Cretaceous,125 Ma), which yielded several pioneer angiosperms in the past decades.The configuration of the fruit suggests that the carpel giving rise to the fruit is most likely ascidiate,favoring the above reorientation.There are two seeds in the fruit,and at least one of them is served by a vascular bundle arising from the bottom of the fruit,implying a basal placentation in the former carpel,which again is different from the classic thinking.This discovery not only enhances the diversity of angiosperms in the Yixian Formation,but also accelerates the on-going switching of thinking on angiosperm evolution.
Although there are many reports of fossil Ephedraceae,whole plant fossil record remains rare.Due to a lack of trust on partially preserved fossil materials,scholars working on molecular clock proposed a recent origin of Ephedra and cast doubt on the earlier origin time of Ephedraceae.To better the understanding on this interesting group,here we report whole plants of Ephedra hongtaoi sp.nov.(Ephedraceae,Gnetales) from the Yixian Formation (Early Cretaceous) in western Liaoning,China.These whole plants of Ephedra demonstrate clearly the characters of Ephedra,including shrubby growth habit,decussate branching pattern,and terminal ovuliferous unit with micropylar tube.The whole-plant preservation of the fossils provides more convincing fossil evidence of Early Cretaceous Ephedra,helps to resolve the controversy over the origin time of Ephedra,and sheds light on the whole plant morphology,growth habit,ecology and evolution of Ephedraceae.
WANG Xin 1,2 & ZHENG ShaoLin 3 1 Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Nanjing 210008,China
The early evolution of angiosperms has been a focus of intensive research for more than a century. The Yixian Formation in western Liaoning yields one of the earliest angiosperm macrofioras. Despite multitudes of angiosperm fossils uncovered, including Archaefructus and Sinocarpus, no bona fide normal flower has been dated to 125 Ma （mega-annum） or older. Here we report Callianthus dilae gen. et sp. nov. from the Yixian Formation （Early Cretaceous） in western Liaoning, China as the earliest normal flower known to date. The flower demonstrates a typical floral organization, including tepals, androecium, and gynoecium. The tepals are spatulate with parallel veins. The stamens have a slender filament, a globular anther, bristles at the anther apex, and in situ round-triangular pollen grains. The gynoecium is composed of two stylate carpels enclosed in a fleshy envelope, and develops into a ＂hip＂ when mature. Since the well-accepted history of angiosperms is not much longer than 125 Ma, Callianthus together with Chaoyangia, Archaefructus and Sinocarpus from the Yixian Formation demonstrate a surprisingly high diversity of angiosperms, implying a history of angiosperms much longer than currently accepted.
