Why Are Bryophytes So Rare in the Fossil Record? A Spotlight on Taphonomy and Fossil Preservation

ALEXANDRU M. F. TOMESCU; BENJAMIN BOMFLEUR; ALEXANDER C. BIPPUS; ADOLFINA SAVORETTI

Transformative Paleobotany: Papers to Commemorate the Life and Legacy of Thomas N. Taylor

Elsevier

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2018;

The bryophyte fossil record has been reviewed by many authors. However, the last comprehensive list of bryophyte taxa found in the fossil record was published 30 years ago by Oostendorp (1987) and is restricted to pre-Cenozoic fossils.Additionally, many new discoveries have been reported in the intervening time period. Hence, a reassessment of the status of the bryophyte fossil record is needed. In undertaking this review of the bryophyte fossil record, ourfocus is on taphonomy and fossil preservation potential(although included in the general discussion, bryophytes preserved in amber are not emphasized here). We argue that, far from being poor, the bryophyte fossil record is exquisite in quality and, potentially, much richer than once thought. As part of this argument, (1) we summarize experimental and analytical data relevant to the potential for fossil preservation of bryophytes; (2) we assemble a database of bryophyte fossils and review the pre-Neogene fossil record, in terms of stratigraphic and geographic extent, as well as modes of plant fossil preservation; and (3) we critically assess plant taphonomy as applied to bryophytes. In the process, we also review a few iconic instances of exceptional bryophyte fossil preservation.