The Yixian Formation （Lower Cretaceous） of China is famous for its fossils of early angiosperms, and these fossils have shed otherwise unavailable light on the evolution of angiosperms. The seeds in Archaefructus an...The Yixian Formation （Lower Cretaceous） of China is famous for its fossils of early angiosperms, and these fossils have shed otherwise unavailable light on the evolution of angiosperms. The seeds in Archaefructus and Nothodichocarpum are inserted along the dorsal of the fruits while those in Sinocarpus are along the ventral of the fruits, suggesting different Bau-plans and pathways deriving the carpels in these plants of the Early Cretaceous. Adding further fossil evidence, here we report a novel fossil angiosperm, Neofructus lingyuanensis gen. et sp. nov, with its seeds inserted on both ventral and dorsal sides of the fruits documented through light microscopic and SEM observations, suggesting a novel way forming gynoecium in the Yixian Formation. These fossil angiosperms indicate that angiosperm gynoecia in the Yixian Formation （the Barremian to Aptian） are derived in obviously different ways, implying an evolutionary scenario for angiosperms quite different from formerly assumed.展开更多
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDB26000000)National Natural Science Foundation of China (91514302, 91114201) awarded to X.W.+2 种基金State Forestry Administration of China (No. 2005–122)Science and Technology Project of Guangdong (No. 2011B060400011)Special Funds for Environmental Projects of Shenzhen (No. 2013-02) awarded to Z. J. L.
文摘The Yixian Formation （Lower Cretaceous） of China is famous for its fossils of early angiosperms, and these fossils have shed otherwise unavailable light on the evolution of angiosperms. The seeds in Archaefructus and Nothodichocarpum are inserted along the dorsal of the fruits while those in Sinocarpus are along the ventral of the fruits, suggesting different Bau-plans and pathways deriving the carpels in these plants of the Early Cretaceous. Adding further fossil evidence, here we report a novel fossil angiosperm, Neofructus lingyuanensis gen. et sp. nov, with its seeds inserted on both ventral and dorsal sides of the fruits documented through light microscopic and SEM observations, suggesting a novel way forming gynoecium in the Yixian Formation. These fossil angiosperms indicate that angiosperm gynoecia in the Yixian Formation （the Barremian to Aptian） are derived in obviously different ways, implying an evolutionary scenario for angiosperms quite different from formerly assumed.
