August 12, 2022 A new page on Nearest Living Relative methods has been added to the paleoecology chapter. NLR methods use the nearest living modern relatives of fossil plants in order to estimate paleoclimate.. Explore here: https://www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org/learn/paleoecology/paleoclimate/nlr/ Image: The cycad Dioon spinulosum cultivated in a greenhouse. Photo by Elizabeth J. Hermsen (DEAL).
Leaf Margin Analysis
June 24, 2022 A new page on Leaf Margin Analysis (LMA) has been added to the paleoecology chapter. LMA is a technique used to estimate mean annual temperature using fossil leaves of flowering trees and shrubs. Explore here: https://www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org/learn/paleoecology/paleoclimate/lma/ Image: Eocene Green River Formation (Parachute Creek Member) plant fossils at display at the Utah State Field House of Natural History …
Branching
January 27, 2021 A new page has been added to the Embryophytes chapter of Digital Encyclopedia of Ancient Life (DEAL): Branching. This page explores the types of branching in plant shoots and roots and discusses monopodial and sympodial growth. It is part of the section “Introduction to vascular plant structure.” Image credits: Lepidodendron YPM PB 054238 (by Fiona O’Brien); Asterophyllites YPM PB 000699 (by Robert Swerling); Metasequoia …
Leaf Structure & Evolution
June 4, 2020 A new page has been added to the Embryophytes chapter of Digital Encyclopedia of Ancient Life (DEAL): Leaf structure & evolution. This page explores the identity, structure (morphology and anatomy), and origins of leaves. It is part of the section “Introduction to vascular plant structure.”
Angiosperms: Flowers
June 4, 2019: We have added a new page on angiosperms that covers flower structure. (Images of Hydrangea flowers above credit Dominicus Johannes Bergsma/Wikimedia Commons and Yale Peabody Museum/iDigBio Portal). It can be accessed at: https://www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org/learn/embryophytes/angiosperms/flowers/