Early Evolution of Land Plants: Phylogeny, Physiology, and Ecology of the Primary Terrestrial Radiation

@article{citeulike:1888866, abstract = {The Siluro-Devonian primary radiation of land biotas is the terrestrial equivalent of the much-debated Cambrian "explosion" of marine faunas. Both show the hallmarks of novelty radiations (phenotypic diversity increases much more rapidly than species diversity across an ecologically undersaturated and thus low-competition landscape), and both ended with the formation of evolutionary and ecological frameworks analogous to those of modern ecosystems. Profound improvements in understanding early land plant evolution reflect recent liberations from several research constraints: Cladistic techniques plus DNA sequence data from extant relatives have prompted revolutionary reinterpretations of land plant phylogeny, and thus of systematics and character-state acquisition patterns. Biomechanical and physiological experimental techniques developed for extant plants have been extrapolated to fossil species, with interpretations both aided and complicated by the recent knowledge that global landmass positions, currents, climates, and atmospheric compositions have been profoundly variable (and thus nonuniformitarian) through the Phanerozoic. Combining phylogenetic and paleoecological data offers potential insights into the identity and function of key innovations, though current evidence suggests the importance of accumulating within lineages a critical mass of phenotypic character. Challenges to further progress include the lack of sequence data and paucity of phenotypic features among the early land plant clades, and a fossil record still inadequate to date accurately certain crucial evolutionary and ecological events.}, author = {Bateman, Richard M. and Crane, Peter R. and Dimichele, William A. and Kenrick, Paul R. and Rowe, Nick P. and Speck, Thomas and Stein, William E. }, citeulike-article-id = {1888866}, doi = {10.2307/221709}, journal = {Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics}, keywords = {evolution}, pages = {263--292}, posted-at = {2007-11-09 09:54:20}, priority = {4}, title = {Early Evolution of Land Plants: Phylogeny, Physiology, and Ecology of the Primary Terrestrial Radiation}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/221709}, volume = {Vol. 29}, year = {1998} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:1888866 L3 - citeulike-article-id:1888866 TI - Early Evolution of Land Plants: Phylogeny, Physiology, and Ecology of the Primary Terrestrial Radiation JF - Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics VL - Vol. 29 SP - 263 EP - 292 N2 - The Siluro-Devonian primary radiation of land biotas is the terrestrial equivalent of the much-debated Cambrian "explosion" of marine faunas. Both show the hallmarks of novelty radiations (phenotypic diversity increases much more rapidly than species diversity across an ecologically undersaturated and thus low-competition landscape), and both ended with the formation of evolutionary and ecological frameworks analogous to those of modern ecosystems. Profound improvements in understanding early land plant evolution reflect recent liberations from several research constraints: Cladistic techniques plus DNA sequence data from extant relatives have prompted revolutionary reinterpretations of land plant phylogeny, and thus of systematics and character-state acquisition patterns. Biomechanical and physiological experimental techniques developed for extant plants have been extrapolated to fossil species, with interpretations both aided and complicated by the recent knowledge that global landmass positions, currents, climates, and atmospheric compositions have been profoundly variable (and thus nonuniformitarian) through the Phanerozoic. Combining phylogenetic and paleoecological data offers potential insights into the identity and function of key innovations, though current evidence suggests the importance of accumulating within lineages a critical mass of phenotypic character. Challenges to further progress include the lack of sequence data and paucity of phenotypic features among the early land plant clades, and a fossil record still inadequate to date accurately certain crucial evolutionary and ecological events. KW - evolution AU - Bateman, Richard AU - Crane, Peter AU - Dimichele, William AU - Kenrick, Paul AU - Rowe, Nick AU - Speck, Thomas AU - Stein, William PY - 1998/// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/221709 ER -