Habit and Ecology of the Petriellales, an Unusual Group of Seed Plants from the Triassic of Gondwana

摘要: Premise of research. Well-preserved Triassic plant fossils from Antarctica yield insights into the physiology growth under seasonal light regimes warm polar forests, a type ecosystem without any modern analogue. Among many well-known plants is enigmatic Petriellaea triangulata, dispersed seedpod structure that considered possible homologue angiosperm carpel. However, morphology and produced these seedpods have so far remained largely elusive.Methodology. Here, we describe petriellalean stems leaves in compression anatomical preservation enable detailed interpretation ecology plants.Pivotal results. Our results indicate Petriellales were diminutive, evergreen, shade-adapted perennial shrubs colonized understory deciduous forest biome Gondwana. This life form very unlike other known seed-plant group time. By...