Nematophyta
| Nematophyta | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
tubular structure of prototaxites |
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||||
| Silurian to Devonian | ||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Nematophyta | ||||||||
The Nematophyta are an informal group of enigmatic organisms from the Silurian and Devonian . Their size ranges from a few millimeters to several meters long "trunks". Your body is made up entirely of tubes of different sizes and shapes. The Nematophyta have been known for over 150 years, their systematic position, their biology and ecology are still little known.
The largest representative of the Nematophyta is the Prototaxites , which can be up to eight meters in size . Interpretations of their systematic position range from different groups of algae (such as brown algae ) to early Basidiomycetes or lichens . The fossils resemble different stages of decomposition of modern liverworts , so they could also come from the precursors of today's liverworts.
Other fossils that are placed on the Nematophyta are:
supporting documents
- Thomas N. Taylor, Edith L. Taylor, Michael Krings: Paleobotany. The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants . Second Edition, Academic Press 2009, ISBN 978-0-12-373972-8
