“It’s the Pits!”: Imaging of Lepidophloios and Lepidodendron, Arborescent Lycopsid Tracheids
Date
2023
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Bi-College (Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges). Department of Environmental Studies
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Thesis
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eng
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Tri-College users only
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Abstract
The arborescent lycopsids Lepidophloios and Lepidodendron dominated the Middle-Pennsylvanian period, emblematic of the adaptations and vascular structure which allowed the tree lycopsids to thrive until the climatic shift of the Westphalian, bringing rise to the tree ferns. This study analyzed Lepidophloios specimen (West Mineral, KS) and an Unknown specimen (United Kingdom) using acid maceration, light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Unexpectedly, the Lepidophloios specimen yielded many tracheid segments with circular border pits, rather than the anticipated scalariform pits. The Unknown specimen, which remains unidentified, yielded several promising fragments of scalariform pits. Under the scanning electron microscope only one scalariform pit was successfully identified and photographed. The tutorial and imagery developed from this study will contribute to future research of Lepidophloios and modelling the hydraulic conductance of arborescent lycopsids from the Carboniferous period.