Gar W. Rothwell

Studies of fossil and living land plants are directed toward a fuller understanding of phylogeny and evolution. These are explored using data from morphological, anatomical, ultrastructural, and developmental characters. Evaluations of ontogeny, reproductive biology, and organismal interactions are emphasized in interpreting development of the modern flora within the context of evolutionary ecology.

Student Research Opportunities

Research projects on a wide range of organismal biology topics are available for both undergraduate and graduater students who wish to become practicing scientists. These studies often focus on fossil plants, but structure, growth & development and physiology studies of living plants are also conducted. If you are interested in doing original research and/or conducting your PBIO 404 undergraduate research in organismal botany, contact for a list and explanation of available topics.

Recently Completed and Published Student Projects

Seedlings of a Paleocene Metasequoia-like Plant (Amy Falder, Graduate Research Project)
Evidence for the fern Osmunda cinnamomea in the Cretaceous (Rudy Serbet, Graduate Research Project)
Anatomy and Relationships of a Cretaceous Tree Fern (Trevor Lance, Undergraduate Research Project).
A New Species of Fossil Conifer Cone from Russia (Amy Falder, Undergraduate Reserarch Project).
Upper Cretaceous Vegetation of Southern Alberta, Canada (Rudy Serbet, Ph.D. Dissertation).

Selected Recent References

Rothwell, Gar W., Lea Grauvogel-Stamm and Gene Mapes. 2000. An herbaceous fossil conifer: Gymnospermous ruderals in the evolution of Mesozoic vegetation. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, in press.

Rothwell, Gar W. and Charles W. Good. 2000. Reconstruction of the Pennsylvanian age filicalean fern Botryopteris tridentata. Interenational Journal of Plant Science, in press.

Yao, Zhao-Qi, Lu-Jun Liu, Gar W. Rothwell and Gene Mapes. 2000. Szecladia gen. nov., an Upper Permian conifer with multiveined leaves from South China. Journal of Paleontology, in press.

Yao, Zhao-Qi, Lu-Jun Liu, Gene Mapes and Gar W. Rothwell. 2000. Leaf Morphology and Cuticular Anatomy of Sphenophyllum in the Gigantopteris flora from South China. Review of Palaeobaotany and Palynology, in press.

Lantz, Trevor C., Gar W. Rothwell and Ruth A. Stockey. 1999. Conantiopteris schuchmanii gen. et sp. nov., and the role of fossils in resolving the phylogeny of Cyatheaceae. Journal of Plant Research 112: 361-381.

Falder, Amy B., Ruth A. Stockey, and Gar W. Rothwell. 1999. In situ fossil seedlings of a Metasequoia-like taxodiaceous conifer from Paleocene river floodplain deposits of central Alberta, Canada. American Journal of Botany 86 900-902.

Stockey, Ruth A., Harufumi Nishida and Gar W. Rothwell. 1999. Permineralized ferns from the middle Eocene Princeton Chert. I. Makotopteris princetonensis gen. et sp. nov. (Athyriaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences 160:1047-1055.

Serbet, Rudolph and Gar W. Rothwell. 1999. Osmunda cinnimomea (Osmundaceae) in the Cretaceous of Western North America; additional evidence for exceptional species longevity among filicalean ferns. International Journal of Plant Sciences 160:425-433.

Rothwell, Gar W. 1999. Fossils and ferns in the resolution of land plant phylogeny. Botanical Review 65:188-218.

Rothwell, Gar W. 1998. Life on Earth, Paleobotany. Geotimes 43:44-45.

Mapes, Gene, and Gar W. Rothwell. 1998. Pollen cone structure of the Late Pennsylvanian (Stephanian) conifer Emporia. Journal of Paleontology 72: 571-576.

Text Book

Stewart, W.N. and G.W. Rothwell. 1993. Paleobotany and the evolution of plants. Cambridge University Press, 521 pp.