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A History of Plants in Fifty Fossils - Hardcover | Diverse Reads

A History of Plants in Fifty Fossils

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An illustrated history of plants presented through the stories of 50 key fossil discoveries

This is the lively, fully illustrated story of plant life on Earth as revealed through some of the most significant fossil discoveries ever made. Beginning with the origins of plant life in the sea, where photosynthesis first evolved in bacteria, the book traces the evolution of land plants, ferns, conifers and their relatives, and flowering plants. Each fossil is depicted with stunning full-color photography alongside narrative from paleobotanist Paul Kenrick explaining its significance and revealing the story behind its discovery. Interspersed throughout the book are contextual "snapshots" of landscapes and environments at various periods of geological time, focusing on plants and plant-animal interactions. A History of Plants in Fifty Fossils is perfect for anyone interested in plants, fossils, and the stories they tell us about life on Earth.

ISBN-13: 9781588346711

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press

Publication Date: 03-20-2020

Pages: 160

Product Dimensions: 7.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

Paul Kenrick is a paleobotanist and researcher at the Natural History Museum, London. His scientific research focuses on the early evolution of life on land and its broader impact on key Earth systems, palaeoecology, and fossil folklore. He is the author of Fossil Invertebrates.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Origins 8

The first photosynthesis 8

Plants evolve 10

Algae flourish 12

First land plants 16

The rise of oxygen 20

Seeds, roots and leaves 22

Leafless plants 22

Plants take to the air 24

Seed evolution 28

Keeping stems upright 30

Roots make soil 32

The rise and march of forests 34

First trees 34

Ancient forests 38

Ways to make a tree 42

Conifers dominate 46

Forests in the Arctic 50

Friends and foes 52

Nutrients for plants 52

Carbon cycle 54

Plants as food 56

Insect pollination 58

The herbivores 60

Ancient plants 62

Giant clubmosses 62

Before flowers, ferns 64

Thriving horsetails 66

Food of the dinosaurs? 70

Cones of conifers 74

Transitional fossil 76

Long extinct seed ferns 78

Back from the brink 80

The lonesome pine 84

Extinctions 88

Climate and diversity 92

Latitude and diversity 92

Fruits and climates 94

Freezing and the fall 96

Flowers flee the Antarctic 98

Greening of the Sahara 100

Drifting continents 102

The leaf barometer 104

Aquatic fern 106

Savannah and grasslands 108

The taiga 110

Flowers 114

The origin of flowers 114

Early flowers 116

Fruits diversify 120

Sunflowers appear 122

Plants enlist allies 126

Dispersing fruits 130

Plants and us 134

Humans follow flora 134

Domestication of grain 136

Wetlands for well-being 140

Saving the seeds 142

Specimen Details 146

The Earth Over Time 152

Geological Timescale 154

Index 155

Further Information 159

Acknowledgements and Picture Credits 160