What kind of plant is the Glossopteris flora?

Glossopteris was a woody, seed-bearing shrub or tree, some apparently reaching 30 meters tall. They had a softwood interior that resembles conifers of the family Araucariaceae.

What was unique about the Glossopteris plant?

Glossopteris has unique plant morphology, including unusual leaf venation for a seed fern, unusual ovule and pollen structures and their locations on the plant, and the varied plant sizes and shapes. Some species were massive; smaller Glossopteris species developed in the early Triassic period due to climate changes.

Where was the plant Glossopteris found?

The Glossopteris fossil is found in Australia, Antarctica, India, South Africa, and South America—all the southern continents. Now, the Glossopteris seed is known to be large and bulky and therefore could not have drifted or flown across the oceans to a separate continent.

Is Glossopteris a fern?

Glossopteris was not a true fern – it was a seed fern (a group of primitive gymnosperms) (Plantae, Pteridospermophyta, Glossopteridopsida, Glossopteridales, Glossopteridaceae). Glossopteris is reconstructed as a large deciduous tree.

What is the Glossopteris habitat?

Glossopteris was a genus of woody gymnosperms that was common through out the continent of Gondwana, providing another piece of evidence for the theory of continental drift (Fossil Museum 2010). They were found in wet, swampy habitats, much like bald cypress (Fossil Museum 2010).

What type of organism is the Glossopteris?

Glossopteris, genus of fossilized woody plants known from rocks that have been dated to the Permian and Triassic periods (roughly million years ago), deposited on the southern supercontinent of Gondwana. Glossopteris occurred in a variety of growth forms.

What do the Glossopteris fossils were found in Antarctica?

The glossopteris fossils reflects the evidence of separation of continents like southern Africa, Australia, India and Antarctica which was largely separated by huge and wide ocean which was larlier connected with each other.

Why was the Glossopteris Fern a big deal?

Essentially, Glossopteris was restricted to the middle- and high-latitude parts of Gondwana during the Permian and was an important contributor to the vast Permian coal deposits of the Southern Hemisphere continents.

What did Glossopteris look like?

Description. Glossopteris occurs in a variety of growth forms with the most common being the tongue-shaped leaf with prominent midrib and reticulate venation. Glossopteris leaves are ‘commonly found in thick mats causing some authorities to speculate that the plants were deciduous.

Which of the following could explain that fossil of extinct tropical plant Glossopteris were found in Antartica?

Fossils of extinct tropical plant Glossopteris were found in Antarctica. Which of the following could best explain this? Antarctica was once located in/or near the equator. Glossopteris can live in very cold environment.

Can tropical plants like Glossopteris survive in Antarctica?

Answer: The climate of Antarctica was Tropical. Explanation: The glossopteris found in the south grow in the wet and cold climate conditions while in the north they grow in warm conditions.

What does the Glossopteris plant tell us about the climate of Antarctica?

Deciduous trees such as Glossopteris are an indicator of a warm climate, as is the absence of frost rings. Scientists analyzing the growth rings of samples from the stumps found none of the ice-swollen cells or gaps between cells that occur when the growth of a tree is disrupted by a seasonal frost.

Do the Glossopteris fossils tell us?

Answer: Yes. Because they indicate biological identity of these plants that were critical for recognizing former connections between the various fragments of Gondwana: South America, Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica.

When did Glossopteris become extinct?

The Glossopteridales are an extinct group of seed plants that arose during the Permian on the great southern continent of Gondwana. These plants went on to become a dominant part of the southern flora through the rest of the Permian, though they dwindled to extinction by the end of the Triassic Period.

Who found Glossopteris?

During the first half of the 20th century, geologist Eduard Suess discovered that fossils of the extinct seed fern Glossopteris could be found on three different continents.

When was the Glossopteris fossil found?

Identifying the Glossopteris flora

The samples were taken back to Britain, and in 1914 at Cambridge University, botanist Albert Seward identified among them, the ancient Glossopteris flora. It was the first time evidence of this extinct plant species had been found in Antarctica.