Ruffordia

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Ruffordia
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic–Eocene
Ruffordia sp - Creta inf Brazil.jpg
A Brazilian fossil of Ruffordia at the Senckenberg Museum of Frankfurt in Germany
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Polypodiophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Schizaeales
Family: Schizaeaceae
Genus:† Ruffordia
Seward 1894
Other species
  • †R.gopperti
  • †R.acrodenta
  • †R.subcretacea

Ruffordia is an extinct genus of cosmopolitan ferns that thrived during the Mesozoic [2] and Cenozoic Eras, particularly from the Jurassic through the Cretaceous periods with the last species dying out during the Eocene. [3] [4] It was notable for being a widespread and abundant ground cover in open, savanna-like ecosystems, especially in regions dominated by gymnosperms [5] [4] and early angiosperms [4] . Ecologically, Ruffordia was quite similar to the modern Bracken fern (Pteridium), which also forms dense, clonal colonies across open habitats. [6] [7] Despite this similarity, it was closer phylogenetically to Schizaeales. [4] Three species are known, Ruffordia gopperti, Ruffordia acrodenta [8] and Ruffordia subcretacea. [3]

Distribution

Fossils are known from New Zealand, China, Peru, Brazil, [4] Canada, Spain, Belgium, The United States, Madagascar, South Korea and Germany. [9]

References

  1. ↑ "Eckfeld Maar (NHMM collection) (Eocene of Germany)". PBDB.org.
  2. ↑ Dettmann, Mary E.; Clifford, H. Trevor (1992-01-01). "Phylogeny and biogeography of Ruffordia, Mohria and Anemia (Schizaeaceae) and Ceratopteris (Pteridaceae): evidence from in situ and dispersed spores". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 16 (4): 269–314. Bibcode:1992Alch...16..269D. doi:10.1080/03115519208619111. ISSN   0311-5518.
  3. 1 2 Wilde, Volker; Frankenhäuser, Herbert (1998-06-01). "The Middle Eocene plant taphocoenosis from Eckfeld (Eifel, Germany)". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 101 (1): 7–28. Bibcode:1998RPaPa.101....7W. doi:10.1016/S0034-6667(97)00067-5. ISSN   0034-6667.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Mohr, Barbara A. R.; Bernardes-de-Oliveira, Mary E. C.; Loveridge, Robert; Pons, Denise; Sucerquia, Paula Andréa; Castro-Fernandes, Maria C. (2015-05-01). "Ruffordia goeppertii (Schizaeales, Anemiaceae) – A common fern from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of northeast Brazil". Cretaceous Research. 54: 17–26. Bibcode:2015CrRes..54...17M. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.11.006. ISSN   0195-6671.
  5. ↑ Kim, Jong-Heon; Nam, Kye-Soo; Lee, Seong-Bok; Jeon, Yeong-Seok (2016-09-30). "Fossil Plants from the Early Cretaceous Hasandong Formation of Chilgok Area, Korea". Journal of the Korean Earth Science Society. 37 (5): 295–308. doi:10.5467/jkess.2016.37.5.295. ISSN   1225-6692.
  6. ↑ Alonso-Amelot, Miguel E.; Rodulfo-Baechler, Serbia (1996-08-01). "Comparative spatial distribution, size, biomass and growth rate of two varieties of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum L. Kuhn) in a neotropical montane habitat". Vegetatio. 125 (2): 137–147. doi:10.1007/BF00044647. ISSN   0042-3106.
  7. ↑ Dodonov, Pavel; Xavier, Rafael de Oliveira; Matos, Dalva Maria da Silva (2023-12-01). "Temporal dynamics of the superdominant bracken fern Pteridium arachnoideum in Neotropical savanna-riparian forest transitions". Rodriguésia. 74 e00432023. doi:10.1590/2175-7860202374078. ISSN   0370-6583.
  8. ↑ Knowlton, F. H. (1919). "A catalogue of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic plants of North America". United States Geological Survey Bulletin: 1. Bibcode:1919usgs.rept....1K. doi:10.3133/b696.
  9. ↑ "†Ruffordia Seward 1894 (fern)". PBDB.org.
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