Oldest known mosses discovered in Mississippian (late Visean) strata of Germany

Abstract

Research Article| August 01, 2012 Oldest known mosses discovered in Mississippian (late Visean) strata of Germany Maren Hübers; Maren Hübers Forschungsstelle für Paläobotanik, Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Schlossplatz 9, 48143 Münster, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Hans Kerp Hans Kerp Forschungsstelle für Paläobotanik, Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Schlossplatz 9, 48143 Münster, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Maren Hübers Forschungsstelle für Paläobotanik, Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Schlossplatz 9, 48143 Münster, Germany Hans Kerp Forschungsstelle für Paläobotanik, Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Schlossplatz 9, 48143 Münster, Germany Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 12 Dec 2011 Revision Received: 05 Mar 2012 Accepted: 15 Mar 2012 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2012 Geological Society of America Geology (2012) 40 (8): 755–758. https://doi.org/10.1130/G33122.1 Article history Received: 12 Dec 2011 Revision Received: 05 Mar 2012 Accepted: 15 Mar 2012 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Maren Hübers, Hans Kerp; Oldest known mosses discovered in Mississippian (late Visean) strata of Germany. Geology 2012;; 40 (8): 755–758. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G33122.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The pre-Permian record of bryophytes is restricted to a very limited number of liverwort occurrences in Middle and Late Devonian and in Pennsylvanian strata, and a putative liverwort from the Middle Ordovician. The paucity of bryophytes, notably the apparent absence of mosses in the Carboniferous, is striking because this time interval is marked by the occurrence of extensive wetland environments that likely provided ideal habitats. We report three types of mosses from the Mississippian of eastern Germany that are the oldest unequivocal mosses known to date. Although the material is fragmentary, these finds show that mosses formed part of Carboniferous ecosystems. The moss remains were obtained by bulk maceration, a method that is not commonly used for studying Carboniferous floras. We anticipate that applying this method on material from other Carboniferous localities will show that mosses were more widespread in the late Paleozoic than previously thought. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.