"Its litter fed the streams and was a major factor in the evolution of freshwater fishes, whose numbers and varieties exploded in that time, and influenced the evolution of other marine ecosystems. It was the first plant to produce an extensive root system, so had a profound impact on soil chemistry. And once these ecosystem changes happened, they were changed for all time. It was a one-time thing.
"Archaeopteris made the world almost a modern world in terms of ecosystems that surround us now," Scheckler concludes.
Meyer-Berthaud and Scheckler are organizing a symposium on Archaeopteris for the International Botanical Congress, which will meet in St. Louis in August 1999. "The symposium will address how Archaeopteris might have grown, lived, and reproduced, as well as how it might be related to its nieces, nephews, and cousins, the seed plants. Based on what we have been able to learn, researchers will present new models that can be tested," Scheckler says.
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Contact: Stephen E. Scheckler
stephen@vt.edu
540-231-6653
Virginia Tech
22-Apr-1999