Ferns were dominant plants in the early Mesozoic era.
The Mesozoic era is composed of three time periods, each occurring millions of years ago. The early Mesozoic is called the Triassic, the mid-Mesozoic is the Jurassic and the late Mesozoic, when flowering and fruiting plants began to establish themselves, is the Cretaceous. Prior to the Cretaceous era plants were gymnosperms, they did not reproduce using seeds. Later, these gymnosperms faded back while our modern fruiting and flowering trees, the angiosperms became more dominant. Does this Spark an idea?
Angiosperms
Ferns, mosses and other prehistoric plants reproduce asexually and do not require pollination. Angiosperms are flowering plants which reproduce sexually - their flowers must be pollinated in order to yield seeds. Seeds are often surrounded by protective tissue, or fruit, which attracts animals and further establishes the spread of the species. The first angiosperms existed during the mid-Mesozoic era but the plant's fossilized remnants have caused scientists to ponder whether the first fruits were produced by trees or by herbs.
Woody
One group of paleobotanists believe, based on molecular science, that modern fruit trees arose from plants belonging to the Magnoliid and Laurele families, plants which are existent today. Fruits and edible products that are derived from members of these groups are cinnamon, sassafras and avocado.
Herbaceous
An alternate hypothesis is that angiosperms and modern fruit and flowering trees evolved from soft-stemmed ancestors and are, therefore, herbaceous. Modern plants arising from these origins are lotus, waterlily and pepper vines. Pepper and lotus are edible and part of modern diets.
Tags: early Mesozoic, flowering trees, modern fruit, plants which
