Plants in Mesozoic Time Morphological Innovations, Phylogeny, Ecosystems [Hardcover]

Plants in Mesozoic Time showcases the latest research of broad botanical and paleontological interest from the worlds experts on Mesozoic plant life. Each chapter covers a special aspect of a particular plant groupranging from horsetails to ginkgophytes, from cycads to conifersand relates it to key innovations in structure, phylogenetic relationships, the Mesozoic flora, or to animals such as plant-eating dinosaurs. The books geographic scope ranges from Antarctica and Argentina to the western interior of North America, with studies on the reconstruction of the Late Jurassic vegetation of the Morrison Formation and on fossil angiosperm lianas from Late Cretaceous deposits in Utah and New Mexico. The volume also includes cutting-edge studies on the evolutionary developmental biology ( evo-devo ) of Mesozoic forests, the phylogenetic analysis of the still enigmatic bennettitaleans, and the genetic developmental controls of the oldest flowers in the fossil record.

This book will be a valuable reference for anyone interested in the biology, paleontology, and paleobotany of the Mesozoic flora and fauna including earth and life scientists and academics, plaeontologists, geologists, and environmental scientists. This very detailed book clearly represents a lifetime of study by the author and is a valuable contribution to the literature.The assortment of writings will interest a broad array of investigators. . . . Recommended.

Preface, Dedication, and Acknowledgments / Carole T. Gee
The Career of Ted Delevoryas: Appreciation and Publications / Thomas N. Taylor, Edith L. Taylor, and Charles P. Daghlian

Part 1. Innovations in Mesozoic Plants
1. Architectural Innovation and Developmental Controls in Some Mesozoic Gymnosperms, or, Why Do The Leaf Crowns in Mesozoic Forests Look Tufted? / Ian Sussex, Nancy Kerk, and Carole T. Gee
2. Modern Traits in Early Mesozoic Sphenophytes: The Equisetum-like Cones of Spaciinodum collinsonii with In Situ Spores andlC