HISTORY OF GLOSSOPTERIS

Glossopteris is believed to have existed during the Permian Period about 298.9 million
years ago (McLoughlin, 2012). McLoughlin also states that they were extinct by the end of the
period about 252.17 million years ago. However, Taylor, T. and Taylor, E. (1993) believed that
they were extinct during the end of the Triassic Period, while McLoughlin argued that the
Triassic fossil records found in India are debatable as there some faulting and complex
juxtapositioning of Permian and Triassic strata at Nidpur (p.1-14). From these figures, we can
estimate that the ferns from the genus Glossopteris from the order Glossopteridales existed on
earth for about 46.7 million years. Some paleontologist have estimated the existence of these
genus until the end of the Permian Period, which means that their extinction was the result of the
Permian-Triassic mass extinction event.
Their records have been found in various locations including India, South America,
Australia, Africa, and in Antarctica as well. Since it is located in all of the southern continents,
paleontologists hypothesized that these countries were once joined together into a single
continent, which they referred to as Gondwana. Interestingly, we can observe that from the aerial
point of view of these countries, their shapes seem to form a puzzle that can be connected
together, which further proves the theory of a single supercontinent Gondwana. Hence, from
these findings, we can find evidences that supports the theory of continental drifts in plate
tectonics. The picture on the right shows the location where Glossopteris fern fossils are found
(highlighted in green).

Source: Snider-Pellegrini Wegener fossil

map, United States Geological Survey
(USGS).

TAXONOMY OF GLOSSOPTERIS

After its first discovery in the 1820s, it was considered as a fern for a long time. However
after some time, it was then assigned to the gymnosperms. Gymnosperms are referred as a group
of plants that produce seeds that also includes conifers, ginkgo or cycads. This term is from two
Greek words meaning tongue-fern which is Latinized. This also refers to the elongated shape
of its individual leaves.

Picture: Glossopterris sp leaves are a widespread fossil

Geological Time: Late Permian
Size: 95mm x 52mm
Fossil Site: Illawarra Coal Measures, Dunedoo, New South Wales, Australia
Source:

http://www.fossilmuseum.net/plantfossils/Glossopteris/Glossopterissp.htm

Once scientists discovered that Glossopteris was not a true fern and indeed was a seed
fern which is then classified in a group of primitive gymnosperms (Plantae, Pteridospermophyta,
Glossopteridopsida, Glossopteridales, Glossopteridaceae). Glossopteris was then reconstructed
as a large deciduous tree.
The taxonomy of Glossopteris species is spectacularly convicted, with >200 nominal
species been described worldwide. During the Permian age, the forests were dominated by
Glossopteris of the ancient continent (Gondwana = South America, Africa, Arabia, Antartica,
India, Madagascar, Australia) which gave another support to the continental drift. Glossopteris
were often found in wet, swampy habitats.

BIOLOGY OF GLOSSOPTERIS

The species Glossopteris has a woody with a seed-bearing tree. It can reach to incredible
heights with some even reaching to 30 meters. The inner part of the tree is usually consists of
softwoods that somehow gives some resemblance to conifers from the family Araucariaceae. The
seeds were narrow towards one side of alternately branched structures. The microsporangia also
contains pollen which were narrow in clusters at the tips of fragile filaments. The seed and and
its organs bearing pollen were partially combined to the leaves and positioned to the axils of its
leaves.
Glossopteris was said to have to have lived and grown in soggy soil conditions which is
also said to be similar to the modern Bald Cypress. Its leaves have lengths that ranges from
around 2 centimeters to 30 centimeters depending on several factors. Based on several analogies,
Glossopteris trees were probably grown upwards (like a Christmas tree) and have wide space to
take full advantage of sunlights at low angles but high altitudes. However they do not have
needles like leaves instead they have large, broad leaves that looked like a tongue. In many
Glossopteris trees, there are usually a broad fossilized growth rings that shows that the trees had
experienced strong growth spruts each spring to summer but experienced cessation of growth
before winter.
Studies have shown that more morphological diverse fertile organs had shown that taxa
had more restricted regional spread. Most seed which are too large for wind-borne definitely
could not have blown across thousands of kilometers of seas. This led an Eduard Suess, an
Austrian geologist to conclude that there was a connectivity between those areas therefore he
name this land mass Gondwanaland. This is actually named after a place in India in where
Glossopteris was discovered. These observations also supported the theory of Continental drift.

Description: An artist impression of how the Glossopteris trees may

have looked like

Geologic period: Permian and Triassic. Became extinct at the end of Triassic

THE CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING THE MASS EXTINCTION OF

GLOSSOPTERIS

McLoughlin believes that after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, glossopterids are
mostly extinct in lands of supercontinent Gondwana. There are no exact causes that have been
associated with the Great Permian Extinction event, but there is a theory stating that the
eruptions from the Siberian Traps may have caused the release of methane from the seabed
(which has methane hydrate deposits), and thus lead to climatic changes since the temperature of
the earth increased as much as 6%, which in turn caused the extinction of Glossopteris since it
only lives in cold climate (Dobruskina, 1987)
Many textbooks stated that these genus may have survived till the end of Triassic or even
Jurassic period, but it may be misidentified with other similar looking plants like Gontriglossa or
Sagenopteris (Anderson, J. & Anderson, H., 1985).
Based on the information and researches that we have studied, our hypothesis is that the
extinction of Glossopteris is most likely caused by the Permian-Triassic extinction. This is
because most of the samples that paleontologists discovered are Permian records, and the few
Triassic records that are found in India are still debated upon, hence we cannot ascertain its exact
origin. Nevertheless, it is evident that Glossopteris are quite dominant during the Permian period,
and the theory of the climatic change during the Great Permian Extinction fits into the picture as
the reasonable cause for the eradication of this genus. If we follow the theory that the genus
managed to survive until the end of Triassic, the cause of its extinction still remains unknown.
Therefore, the cause and effect of the Permian mass extinction are the most reasonable
explanation for the extinction of Glossopteris in the supercontinent Gondwana.

WHAT DO WE UNDERSTAND?
After spending weeks on reading and learning more about the already extinct
species of Glossopteris, we finally the picture that this species played a huge in Paleontology and
also Continental drift theory proposed by Alfered Wegener.
The discovered fossils of glossopteris have shown and assisted Paleontologists for
a long time in determining the geological age of rocks and other fossils. It also helped the study
of the Permian Triassic mass extinction. However, we believed that the extinction of this plants
are mainly due to climatic change.
It was also interesting to read that the fossils of this plants have help geologists to
explain the Continental drift theory. As it was said that during the Permian age, the forests were
dominated by Glossopteris of the ancient continent. This ancient continent was known as
Gondwana which consisted of countries and continents known today as South America, Africa,
Arabia, Antartica, India, Madagascar, Australia.