The reporter learned from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that paleontologists have recently re-studied fossils and discovered the earliest known angiosperms in northwest China, that is, the well-known "flower". This ancient plant is about 1 million years old and was previously thought to be gymnosperms.
Wang Xin, a researcher at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who led the study, said that the so-called "flowers" and "fruits" are actually unique structures of angiosperms. Angiosperms are the most evolved, diverse, widely distributed and adaptable group in the plant kingdom today. There are about 30,<> species of living angiosperms worldwide, accounting for the vast majority of living plant species.
This time, the scientific research team re-studied the fossils of a Jurassic ancient plant about 1 million years ago in northwest China. This plant was previously considered a gymnosperm called the beautiful sickle scale. In the latest study, the research team used micro-CT technology to scan the fossils of this ancient plant and found that the fossils contained inverted ovules with a double layer of beaded cover, which is a key feature of judging angiosperms. Based on this, the scientific team determined that this was an ancient angiosperm. Because the fossils showed multiple connected fruits of the plant, the team renamed it Qingganninginfructus formosa.
"The beautiful Qingganning fruit order has been found in Qinghai, Gansu and Ningxia in China, and is the earliest angiosperm found in northwest China. Its discovery suggests that flowering and fruiting angiosperms appeared and were widely distributed as early as about 1 million years ago, reaching a certain degree of prosperity. This also provides a new reference for the scientific community to continue to track the origin and evolution of angiosperms. Wang Xin said.
The study was jointly completed by the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou University, Ningxia Geological Museum, and Northwest University. The relevant research results were recently published in the international biology journal Life.
According to Xinhua News Agency
Source: West China Metropolis Daily