Fossil Plants and Living Fossils

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No previous knowledge required;

Content of Course

1. The fossil record from the Carboniferous Period 250 million years ago to primitive flowering plants similar to today’s Magnolias. The geological time scale and plant evolution. The characteristics of ‘primitive’ plants.

2. Fossil pteridophytes (horsetails, ferns and their allies) – some of these bear remarkable similarity to modern-day species, and in the case of horsetails one of the principal differences is their great reduction in size.

3. The development of seed-bearing plants: Pteridosperms: a stepping stone between ferns and modern seed plants - now extinct; Gymnosperms: there have been a number of 'living fossils' discovered in the past century or so - plants which bear a stunning resemblance to things long thought extinct – such as Taxodium, Gingko (Maidenhair Tree) and, most-recently, Wollemi Pine from Australia;.

4. Early flowering plants – such as Magnolia and its allies.

5. Conclusions: the evolution of the immense diversity of flowering plants.

Teaching method(s)

Lecture-tutorial sessions based on the use of PowerPoint presentations (which will subsequently be sent to students).

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Describe key characteristics of selected fossil plants and living fossils;

• Understand the sequence in which different plant groups developed through time and the changes in their anatomy and complexity;

• Compare and contrast ‘primitive’ plants to modern-day species.

Sources

Core Readings

Recommended:

• Cleal, C.J. & Thomas, B.A., 1999. Fossils Illustrated. 3: Plant Fossils – The History of Land Vegetation. Woodbridge: Boydell.

• Walton, J., 1940. An introduction to the study of fossil plants. London: A & C Black.

Class Handouts

Summary of PowerPoint presentations will be provided to students (either by email or in hard copy).

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.