title: Belowground rhizomes in paleosols: The hidden half of an Early Devonian vascular plant.
abstract: The colonization of terrestrial environments by rooted vascular plants had far-reaching impacts on the Earth system. However, the belowground structures of early vascular plants are rarely documented, and thus the plant-soil interactions in early terrestrial ecosystems are poorly understood. Here we report the earliest rooted paleosols (fossil soils) in Asia from Early Devonian deposits of Yunnan, China. Plant traces are extensive within the soil and occur as complex network-like structures, which are interpreted as representing long-lived, belowground rhizomes of the basal lycopsid Drepanophycus The rhizomes produced large clones and helped the plant survive frequent sediment burial in well-drained soils within a seasonal wet-dry climate zone. Rhizome networks contributed to the accumulation and pedogenesis of floodplain sediments and increased the soil stabilizing effects of early plants. Predating the appearance of trees with deep roots in the Middle Devonian, plant rhizomes have long functioned in the belowground soil ecosystem. This study presents strong, direct evidence for plant-soil interactions at an early stage of vascular plant radiation. Soil stabilization by complex rhizome systems was apparently widespread, and contributed to landscape modification at an earlier time than had been appreciated.
authors: The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China; pkuxue@pku.edu.cn.
authors: Jinzhuang
authors: J
authors: Xue
authors: The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China;
authors: Zhenzhen
authors: Z
authors: Deng
authors: The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China;
authors: Pu
authors: P
authors: Huang
authors: The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China;
authors: Kangjun
authors: K
authors: Huang
authors: School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom;
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Benton
authors: Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755;
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Cui
authors: The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China;
authors: Deming
authors: D
authors: Wang
authors: The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China;
authors: Jianbo
authors: J
authors: Liu
authors: The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China;
authors: Bing
authors: B
authors: Shen
authors: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada.
authors: James F
authors: JF
authors: Basinger
authors: The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China;
authors: Shougang
authors: S
authors: Hao
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D002681:China; D017753:Ecosystem; D005580:Fossils; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D010944:Plants / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification; D027343:Rhizome / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: Devonian; clonal growth; fluvial landscape; paleosol; rhizome