Detecting plant fossils 240 million years

Recent fossils discovered in Switzerland show that ancestors of flowering plants appeared 240 million years ago during the Early Triassic period.

Peter Hochuli and Susanne Feist-Burkhardt of the Museum of Paleontology, Zurich University, use two drill cores to detect pollen from Weiach and Leuggern, north of Switzerland. The two researchers used laser scanning with confocal microscopy to capture high-resolution 3-dimensional images of 6 different types of pollen.

Fossils are shaped like flowers in the Triassic period.(Photo: UZH)

Scientists believe that flowering plants first appeared in the Early Cretaceous period, about 140 million years ago. However, the recent discovery shows that flowering plants have existed since the Early Triassic period, between 252 and 247 million years ago or even earlier.

'Many studies have attempted to estimate flowering plants from molecular data, but so far no consensus has been reached. Depending on the data and method, the estimates may be in the Triassic to Cretaceous period and need to be saved in fossil evidence. However, ancient fossils are not available. That is why it is important to discover pollen since the Triassic period , 'said Sciencedaily, quoted by Professor Peter Hochuli of the University of Zurich in Switzerland.

Phytoplankton evolved from extinct plants related to conifers, fan leaves, cycads and ferns. Many of the oldest known fossils are derived from flowering plants, which are pollen grains, which are small but large in number, thus making fossils easier to produce than leaves and flowers.