One of the first examples of winged seeds found in a mine in China

A team of geologists, life scientists and biologists affiliated with several Chinese institutions discovered one of the first examples of winged seeds in a mine in Anhui province. Their article is published in the journal eLife.

Many plants have so-called winged seeds, which have features shaped to take advantage of wind or air: such shapes extend the dispersal distances of seeds, allowing less competition between them. The common structures of these seeds allow them to fall through the air like a parachute or a helicopter in the wind.

Previous research has shown that the first seeds evolved around 372 to 359 million years ago, during the Famennian stage, a development resulting from earlier spore-based reproduction. The first seeds of this type were covered with a cup and never developed wings.

It was some time later that the first wings began to appear – only two groups of plants of this type are known to have evolved wings during the Famennian, specifically the Late Devonian.

In this new effort, the research team wanted to learn more about the development of wind dispersion and ventured to the Jianchuan Mine in the Wutong Formation in Anhui. Fossilized seeds had already been found in the mine.

While collecting samples from the mine, the team found seeds they did not recognize, each measuring 2.5 to 3.3 cm long and without a cup. Further study of the seeds showed that they were covered in a seed coat which, when folded, gave way to three wing-like structures. They were able to date the seeds to 365 million years ago, making them the second oldest winged seeds ever found. The team named the plant Alasmenia.

Intrigued by its number of wings, the research team compared its likely dispersal ability with that of other early winged seeds with two or four wings and found that they offered more stable flight with faster rotation , which they believed probably gave it the ability to travel great distances. when carried by the wind.

The team suggests that their discovery complements available information regarding the origins of wind-driven seed dispersal.

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