Abstract
Palaeozoic fossil conifer cones bearing mature seeds with well developed cotyledonary embryos have been recovered from Permo-Carboniferous strata of North America. These are the most ancient embryos ever discovered within gymnosperm seeds1,2. In contrast to the pteridophytic ancestors of seed plants and other major groups of Palaeozoic gymnosperms3,4, these embryos indicate that there was a significant delay between fertilization and seed germination in the earliest conifers. We suspect that this post-zygotic quiescence may be a first step in the evolution of seed dormancy.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Miller, C. N. & Brown, J. T. Science 179, 184–185 (1973).
Long, A. G. Trans. R. Soc. Edin. 69, 267–293 (1975).
Emberger, L. Bull. Soc. bot. Fr. 89, 202–203 (1942).
Rothwell, G. W. Am. J. Bot. 69, 239–247 (1982).
Taylor, T. N. & Millay, M. A. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 27, 329–355 (1979).
Stewart, W. N. Paleobotany and the Evolution of Plants (Cambridge University Press, 1983).
Klekowski, E. J. Jr Am. Fern J. 57, 49–53 (1967).
Amen, R. D. Bot. Rev. 34, 1–31 (1968).
Kramer, P. J. & Kozlowski, T. T. Physiology of Trees (McGraw-Hill, 1960).
Bewley, J. D. & Black, M. Physiology and Biochemistry of Seeds in Relation to Germination Vol. 2 (Springer, Berlin. 1982).
Stone, E. C. in The Physiology of Forest Trees (ed. Thimann, K. V.) 611–628 (Ronald, New York, 1957).
Schopmeyer, C. S. Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States (U.S.D.A. Handbook 450, 1974).
Baskin, J. M. & Baskin, C. C. BioScience 35, 492–498 (1985).
Priestley, D. A. Seed Aging (Cornell University Press, 1986).
Mapes, G. & Mapes, R. H. eds Regional Geology and Paleontlogy of Upper Paleozoic Hamilton Quarry Area in Southeastern Kansas (Kansas Geol. Surv., Guidebook Ser. 6, Lawrence, Kansas, in the press).
Mapes, G. & Haworth, M. T. Am. J. Bot. 74, 685–686 (1987).
Owens, J. M. & Molder, M. The Reproductive Cycle of Interior Spruce (Province of British Columbia, Ministry of Forests, Victoria, 1984).
Owens, J. N., Simpson, S. J. & Molder, M. Can. J. Bot. 59, 1828–1843 (1981).
Singh, H. Embryology of Gymnosperms (Gebruder Borntraeger, Berlin, 1978).
Rothwell, G. W. Am. J. Bot. 58, 706–715 (1970).
Rothwell, G. W. & Scheckler, S. E. in Origin and Evolution of Gymnosperms (ed. Beck, C. B.) 88–134 (Columbia University Press, in the press).
White, D. Rep. XVI int. geol. Congr. Washington 1933 1–11 (1934).
Rothwell, G. W. & Mapes, G. in Regional Geology and Paleontology of Upper Paleozoic Hamilton Quarry Area in Southeastern Kansas, (ed. Mapes, G. & Mapes, R. H.) 213–223 (Kansan Geological Survey, in the press).
Simpson, G. G. Tempo and Mode in Evolution (Columbia University Press, 1944).
DiMichele, W. A., Phillips, T. L. & Olmstead, R. G. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol 50, 151–178 (1987).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mapes, G., Rothwell, G. & Haworth, M. Evolution of seed dormancy. Nature 337, 645–646 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/337645a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/337645a0
This article is cited by
-
Heterochrony and repurposing in the evolution of gymnosperm seed dispersal units
EvoDevo (2022)
-
Fossil ginkgophyte seedlings from the Triassic of France resemble modern Ginkgo biloba
BMC Evolutionary Biology (2013)
-
Implications of fossil conifers for the phylogenetic relationships of living families
The Botanical Review (1999)
-
Gymnosperms on the eve of the terminal Permian mass extinction in North China and their survival strategies
Chinese Science Bulletin (1998)
-
Embryogeny of gymnosperms: advances in synthetic seed technology of conifers
Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (1993)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.