Vegetative characters, growth habit and microsporangiate strobilus of lycopsid Minostrobus chaohuensis

PLoS One. 2015 Mar 27;10(3):e0122167. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122167. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Late Devonian Minostrobus chaohuensis is one of the earliest monosporangiate-strobilate isoetaleans. Based on new material of this plant, the vegetative axis and microsporangiate strobilus are studied in detail, and the whole plant knowledge is summarized. The vegetative axis is isotomously branched. The stem is up to 55 mm in diameter with helically arranged leaf cushions. Stems and thick branches bear long fusiform leaf cushions and interareas with vertical linear ornamentations. A ligule pit, oblanceolate leaf scar, and vascular bundle scar appear on the leaf cushion. Distal axes have persistent lanceolate leaves and rhombic leaf bases. The microsporangiate strobilus is cylindrical in shape, possesses sporophyll with alate pedicel and long triangular lamina, uniseriate sporangial wall, subarchesporial pad inside the sporangium, and microspore with cingulum. Based on comparisons with other isoetaleans, the usage of the terms "leaf cushion" and "leaf base" is discussed, and Minostrobus chaohuensis is considered as a tree-like lycopsid. It suggests that arborescent isoetaleans with monosporangiate strobili had appeared and diversified in the Late Devonian. The multi-dichotomous branching system of Minostrobus provides new data on the evolution of growth architecture in rhizomorphic lycopsids.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biological Evolution
  • Fossils / anatomy & histology*
  • Lycopodiaceae / anatomy & histology*
  • Lycopodiaceae / growth & development
  • Sporangia / anatomy & histology*

Grants and funding

This work is supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, http://www.973.gov.cn/Default_3.aspx, no. 2012CB821900 and no. 2011CB403002) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/, no. 41402023). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.