Bizarre Bushy Trees with Exceptionally Preserved Fossils Unearthed in Canada: Evidence of Evolutionary Experimentation
In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unearthed exceptionally preserved plant fossils in southeastern Canada that belong to bizarre bushy trees. These ancient trees, unlike anything seen before, may provide evidence of evolutionary experimentation. The fossils were entombed in sediments at the bottom of a prehistoric lake after an earthquake 350 million years ago toppled the trees, leaving behind near-perfect imprints of their trunks and leaves.
The first fossilized tree was discovered in 2017 during quarry excavations in New Brunswick, and since then, four more near-identical specimens have been found. The researchers were astounded by the find. “We were gobsmacked,” said study lead author Robert Gastaldo, a professor emeritus of geology at Colby College in Maine. “It is an anomaly to find a fossil plant of tree size that has leaves preserved [and] attached to the trunk in a crown configuration.”
Typically, only the trunks of ancient trees are preserved in the fossil record. However, this new discovery reveals a dense canopy of more than 250 leaves clustered around the top 30 inches of a spindly, unbranched tree trunk that stood approximately 8.7 feet tall. These leaves grew up to 9.8 feet long and extended out from the trunk in tightly compressed spirals.
The researchers believe that these trees, named Sanfordiacaulis, developed this spiral layout to maximize sunlight absorption for photosynthesis. Additionally, their shorter stature suggests that they are the earliest example of smaller trees growing beneath taller ones. This finding challenges our understanding of tree growth and organization.
Gastaldo explains that the growth architecture of Sanfordiacaulis is similar to but distinct from two tree models found in today’s tropics, such as tree ferns, gymnosperms, and flowering plants. However, these modern plants have fewer leaves in their crowns compared to Sanfordiacaulis. This suggests that these ancient trees were unique and stood out among the vegetation during the Carboniferous period, much like quiver trees and baobabs do today.
“These trees are oddballs relative to the rest of the flowering plants,” Gastaldo said. “Such oddballs existed in deep time in other plant groups that lived long before flowering plants appeared on the planet, but we don’t have clues to their oddities unless a very rare event happened to preserve the plant in its entirety.”
The discovery of these fossils sheds light on the diversification of plants during the Devonian period and Carboniferous era. It is possible that Sanfordiacaulis represents an evolutionary experiment from that time that eventually failed. “The evolution of the plant kingdom underwent many different experimental forms that were successful for some million or more years of time but didn’t survive the test of time,” Gastaldo explained.
This remarkable find opens up new possibilities for understanding the ancient world and the various forms of life that once existed. The exceptionally preserved fossils of Sanfordiacaulis provide valuable insights into the evolutionary history of plants and challenge our preconceived notions about tree growth and organization. As scientists continue to study these bizarre bushy trees, they hope to uncover more secrets about the Earth’s past and the fascinating experiments nature has conducted throughout history.