Roots of fossil and extant ferns: Morphological evolution and paleoenvironmental implications
Liu Lu1, Liu Le2, Wang De-Ming1, Xue Jin-Zhuang1
1 Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution,School of Earth and Space Sciences, Ministry of Education,Peking University,Beijing 100871,China; 2 College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering,China University of Mining & Techology(Beijing),Beijing 100083,China;
Abstract：Roots are important vegetative organs of plants,and play essential roles in plant physiology as well as in the nutrient cycle and energy flow of an ecosystem. Fern roots are known to arise from the shoots in a predictable pattern,and thus are called shoot-borne roots,or more commenly adventitious roots. In contrast to the extensive studies of seed plant roots,relatively little information is available on fern roots. Based on a compilation of the available data and our own observations on both fossil and extant fern specimens,this study presents a review of root morphology of several fossil and extant ferns. In the early ferns that flourished during the Middle-Late Devonian,dense shoot-borne roots are attached on stems,or inferred rhizomes,or on expanded bases of trunks;such roots seldom branch,but when they do they display an isotomous branching pattern. In the crown groups of ferns,however,shoot-borne roots may be either densely or sparsely arranged,and show a monopodial branching pattern with two or more orders of lateral roots. The morphological evolution of fern roots may be interpreted by“the telome theory”: shoot-borne roots seem to be evolutionary conservative;primitive roots in early ferns can be considered as telome trusses that occasionally branch isotomously;and lateral rooting systems in crown groups of ferns evolved through overtopping of telome trusses. Information on fern root architecture,morphology,anatomical structure,and allocation ratios is documented in the fossil record,and is of significance in understanding the evolution of plant rooting systems and plant-soil interactions over geological time. As a case study,fossils of fern roots and root-soil systems from the Jurassic of Western Hills,Beijing,are briefly introduced.
Liu Lu,Liu Le,Wang De-Ming et al. Roots of fossil and extant ferns: Morphological evolution and paleoenvironmental implications[J]. JOPC, 2020, 22(4): 680-696.
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