Production of root suckers in Glossopteridales from the late Permian of Antarctica

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Abstract
Premise: The Glossopteridales are an extinct group of seed plants that dominated mid to high latitude floras of the supercontinent Gondwana during the Permian (298–251 million years ago). Reconstructing their functional ecology is thus of particular importance for understanding the forests of that time period. Previous studies have shown evidence for diverse strategies favoring individual persistence and regeneration in glosssopterids. This evidence includes the production of epicormic and basal shoots, but there is no evidence of root suckering (i.e., new shoots from the root system). Methods: In previously made serial acetate peels on sections of silicified peat blocks from the late Permian of Skaar Ridge, Central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica, we identified two young glossopterid roots emitting a lateral axis with a non‐root anatomy and studied their anatomy. Results: The two specimens show evidence of young Vertebraria roots producing stem‐like laterals, which we interpret as evidence of root suckering. Conclusions: The specimens provide new evidence in favor of high ecological resilience among glossopterids and suggest that some may have had the potential for clonal growth. This example is the oldest to date of root suckering in a fossil plant.

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