Oral Paper

         Paleobotany

Expanding the diversity of early woody euphyllophytes: new specimens from the Early Devonian of Gaspé (Quebec, Canada)

Presenting Author
Emma Casselman
Description
Vascular cambial growth (woody growth) can be traced back to the Middle and Late Devonian in multiple distinct tracheophyte lineages (cladoxylopsids, sphenophytes, rhacophytaleans, zygopterids, progymnosperms, stenokolealeans, and seed plants). Recent recognition of several different Early Devonian euphyllophytes producing secondary xylem demonstrates an unexpected diversity of species that had evolved woody growth by c. 400 Ma ago, indicating that this major developmental innovation arose earlier than previously recognized. Understanding patterns and relationships in the evolution of woody growth requires detailed characterization of these earliest occurrences and development of quantitative methods for meaningful comparisons. With one exception, Early Devonian woody euphyllophytes have been described in Emsian strata (c. 405-395 Ma) from the Gaspé Peninsula (Quebec, Canada): eight formally described taxa and two additional unnamed plant types. We analyze a set of eight previously undescribed Early Devonian specimens from Gaspé that share secondary xylem of a relatively dense aspect, with tracheids of relatively small size, suggesting they may all represent the same type of woody plant. The new specimens are fragments of woody axes that range 1.4-7.3 mm in xylem diameter and 2-12 mm in length. Their central primary xylem, scarce and crushed, was probably terete. The thickness of the secondary xylem ranges from 21 to 81 tracheids (counted along radial files). To explore the implications of these specimens for the diversity of Early Devonian woody plants, we compare them to previously documented coeval woody taxa - Armoricaphyton, Franhueberia, Gmujij - and to Psilophyton dawsonii. These comparisons suggest that the eight specimens represent a single plant type characterized by Psilophyton-type tracheids with sizes ranges of 37-57 µm (radial) x 25-62 µm (tangential) and rare uniseriate rays. One of the specimens that preserves extraxylary tissues shows that the plant had a wide parenchymatous inner cortex and a sclerenchymatous outer cortex a few cells thick. This plant belonging to the euphyllophyte clade (as indicated by its Psilophyton-type tracheids) is different from all coeval woody taxa: it lacks the relatively large four lobed primary xylem seen in Gmuiji and the large frequent rays of Franhueberia, and its tracheids are roughly half the size of the wood tracheids of Armoricaphyton and of the radially aligned tracheids documented in Psilophyton dawsonii. This putative new type of euphyllophyte adds another member to the growing diversity of woody plants documented from Early Devonian strata. Using the wealth of woody plant types documented in the Early Devonian, we are currently exploring quantitative methods of characterizing and comparing cambial growth dynamics in these plants, as a way to better delineate taxa and characterize their development.