university of south alabama...paleozoic plants the next division of plants is still abundant today....
TRANSCRIPT
GY 112L: Earth History Lab
Mesozoic Part 1
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA
Instructor: Dr. Douglas W. Haywick
Today’s Agenda
The Mesozoic Part 1 (week 10 exercises)
1) Fish 2) Plants 3) More Alabama Stratigraphy
The Fish The first true chordates evolved during the Neoproterozoic, but since hard body parts didn’t, we know little about them. The first pieces we have from what we believe were chordates are Cambrian in age: Conodonts
0.5 mm
The Fish
Like the plants (which you will see shortly), the fish really exploded in terms of numbers and diversity once we hit the Devonian
Age of the Plants and Age of the Fishes
Types of Fishes
The Fish
Fish Facts:
Taxonomy: Phylum: Chordata Sub-Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Lots! Range: Variable Mode of Life: Marine, non-marine, scavenger, predators, herbivores Mineral composition: bone/cartilage Fossil Pres.: petrifaction, impression, pristine (teeth)
The Fish
Class: Agnatha (jawless fish, lampreys etc.); Camb-Recent (D)
Fish Facts:
Taxonomy: Phylum: Chordata Sub-Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Lots! Range: Variable Mode of Life: Marine, non-marine, scavenger, predators, herbivores Mineral composition: bone/cartilage Fossil Pres.: petrifaction, impression, pristine (teeth)
The Fish
Acanthodii (spiny sharks); O-P (M-P)
Fish Facts:
Taxonomy: Phylum: Chordata Sub-Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Lots! Range: Variable Mode of Life: Marine, non-marine, scavenger, predators, herbivores Mineral composition: bone/cartilage Fossil Pres.: petrifaction, impression, pristine (teeth)
The Fish
Placodermi (armored jawed fish); S-M (D)
Fish Facts:
Taxonomy: Phylum: Chordata Sub-Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Lots! Range: Variable Mode of Life: Marine, non-marine, scavenger, predators, herbivores Mineral composition: bone/cartilage Fossil Pres.: petrifaction, impression, pristine (teeth)
The Fish
Placodermi (armored jawed fish); S-M (D)
Fish Facts:
Taxonomy: Phylum: Chordata Sub-Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Lots! Range: Variable Mode of Life: Marine, non-marine, scavenger, predators, herbivores Mineral composition: bone/cartilage Fossil Pres.: petrifaction, impression, pristine (teeth)
The Fish
Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, skates); S-Recent (J-Recent)
Fish Facts:
Taxonomy: Phylum: Chordata Sub-Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Lots! Range: Variable Mode of Life: Marine, non-marine, scavenger, predators, herbivores Mineral composition: bone/cartilage Fossil Pres.: petrifaction, impression, pristine (teeth)
The Fish
Osteichthyes (boney fish); D-Recent (J-Recent)
Fish Facts:
Taxonomy: Phylum: Chordata Sub-Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Lots! Range: Variable Mode of Life: Marine, non-marine, scavenger, predators, herbivores Mineral composition: bone/cartilage Fossil Pres.: petrifaction, impression, pristine (teeth)
The Plants
Plant taxonomy is a bit different than animal taxonomy. Kingdom: Plantae and use Divisions instead of Phyla
The Plants (terrestrial)
Terrestrial plant evolution apparently did not occur until the mid-Silurian…
The Plants
Plant Facts:
Taxonomy: Kingdom: Plantae Division: Psilophyta Pteridophyta Sphenopsida Pteropsida Lycopsida Pinophyta (gymnosperms) Magnoliophyta (angiosperms) Range: Silurian to Recent (terrestrial) Mode of Life: Marine, non-marine, photosynthetic, Mineral composition: cellulose Fossil Pres.: petrifaction, impression
The first Psilopsid
Paleozoic Plants The first leaves were almost welded onto the trunks of the plants (which now stood rather tall; e.g., Lepidodendron sp.). They were called the “scale trees”. Division: Lycopsida
http://www.mnh.si.edu/highlight/fossil_scale_tree/
Paleozoic Plants Leaves eventually started looking like leaves… needles first, like those of the modern horsetails or extinct genera like Calamites. Division: Sphenopsida
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Paleozoic Plants The next division of plants is still abundant today. The “true ferns” have good leaf development that radiate from a central stem and reproduce via spores on the underside of the leaves. Division: Pteropsida
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Paleozoic Plants A huge division of plants that reproduce via seeds are the “gymnosperms” (Division: Pinophyta). There are 4 major subdivisions (classes?):
•Pteridospermophyta (the seed ferns) •Pinopsida (the conifers)
•Cycadopsida (the cycads) •Ginkgopsida (the ginkgos)
Ginkgo leaves (USA Campus) Sago palm (cycad)
Mesozoic Plants The most dominant group of plants on the Earth today reproduce via flowers and pollen and use “encased seeds”
(Division: Magnoliophyta).
AKA the Angiosperms.
Plant Evolution
Alabama Stratigraphy and Rocks
This week, a collection of subsurface Mesozoic rocks from our fair state
Alabama Mesozoic Stratigraphy
Mesozoic Sedimentation
Triassic •Initial opening of Gulf of Mexico
Mesozoic Sedimentation
Triassic •Initial opening of Gulf of Mexico
Mesozoic Sedimentation
Triassic
Mesozoic Sedimentation
Early Jurassic •Initial flooding of Gulf of Mexico and Northern Atlantic Ocean
Mesozoic Sedimentation
Late-Triassic/Early Jurassic
Alabama Mesozoic Stratigraphy
Great Salt Lake (evaporite basin) http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/photographs700/salt.jpg
Halite
Alabama Mesozoic Stratigraphy
Sand dunes in the Gobi Desert
Quartz Arenite
Alabama Mesozoic Stratigraphy
The Great Barrier Reef http://www.anntorrence.com/blog/at-images/gbr_02.jpg
Fossil. Limestone & Dolostone (shallow marine with stromatolitic reefs)
Lab Time
GY 112L: Earth History
Lab 10: Plants, Fish and the Mesozoic 1
Instructor: Dr. Doug Haywick [email protected]
This is a free open access lecture, but not for commercial purposes. For personal use only.