The discovery of whole-plant fossil cycad from the Upper Triassic in western Liaoning and its significance

作     者：WANG Xin LI Nan WANG YongDong ZHENG ShaoLin 

作者机构：Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Nanjing 210008 China Shenzhen Fairylake Botanical Garden Shenzhen 518004 China Shenyang Center of China Geological Survey Shenyang 110034 China 

出 版 物：《Chinese Science Bulletin》 (Chin. Sci. Bull.)

年 卷 期：2009年第54卷第17期

页      面：3116-3119页

核心收录：

学科分类：070903[理学-古生物学与地层学(含：古人类学)] 081803[工学-地质工程] 0709[理学-地质学] 07[理学] 08[工学] 0818[工学-地质资源与地质工程] 

基　　金：Supported by the National Natursl Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40772006, 40372008, 40632010 and J0630967) Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-154) National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB701401) 

主　　题：植物化石 上三叠统 苏铁目 辽西 苏铁属植物 生殖器官 营养生长 植物演化 

摘      要：A recently discovered megafossil of whole plant cycad is briefly reported here. The specimen is collected from the Yangcaogou Formation (Upper Triassic) in Changheying, Beipiao, Liaoning. The whole plant is preserved intact on a sandstone slab, 89 cm long and 130 cm wide, including leaves up to 82 cm long and a male cone physically attached to the stem apex. Analysis on the morphology, arrangement and venation of leaf and pinna, male cone and its relationship with other parts indicates that the fossil is closely related to living Zamiaceae in Cycadales. This cycad fossil is hitherto most completely preserved cycad specimen including both vegetative and reproductive organs. Its discovery contributes much to our understanding of the morphology and evolution of cycads, palaeoclimate as well as palaeoenvironment.