It dates back to 123 million years. What is the true origin of flowers? Researchers identified the oldest pollen produced. It appeared in sedimentary deposits of Portugal. The University of Leibniz and the University of Bonn Uniens efforts. And identified fossilized angiosperms pollen. Where? In coastal marine sediments deposited in the Lusitanian basin of Portugal.
It is not known with certainty how plants with flowers were developed or from what plants. But angiosperms had a lasting impact on the development of life on our planet. They significantly enriched the diversity of terrestrial species. "The appearance of flower plants considerably altered biological diversity." Professor Heimhofer, researcher, affirmed it in a statement. "But exactly where and when this began it is an enigma."
Tracking pollen
The pollen grains examined come from sedimentary layers deposited in a shallow ocean more than 100 million years ago. Rivers that transported plant material, as well as pollen grains, flowed into this mass of water. Sedimentary rock sequences are usually dated by fossils. High -resolution scanning laser microscopy techniques were used. Thus they identified four individual microfossils as tricolpate pollen grains.
The term "tricolpent" refers to the morphology of the grains, which have three small grooves in their external wall. Currently, approximately 72 % of living angiosperms species produce tricolved pollen. The grains were classified as native of flowers with flowers.
Fossilized marine shells were also examined from the same sediment layer. The shells, composed of calcium carbonate, store the chemical firm of seawater at the time of their formation. The isotopic firm of lamb of surrounding seawater is also filed in the shell. It helps determine the ages of marine sediments.
Understanding flowers
When combining both data, it was obtained that the oldest dating is 2 million years earlier than thought. It was believed that angiosperms were developed in the tropics. But they were more common in the average latitudes of what was previously believed.
Looking for the true origin of flowers, the new approach could serve as a model to improve the dating of fossilized plants. It allows a better understanding of the origins and diversification of angiosperms.
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