Premise of the Study Conifers are an important living seed plant lineage with an extensive
fossil record spanning more than 300 million years. The group therefore provides an …

Living gymnosperms comprise only a little more than 1000 species, but represent four of the
five main lineages of seed plants, including cycads, ginkgos, gnetophytes and conifers. This …

How coniferous forests evolved in the Northern Hemisphere remains largely unknown.
Unlike most groups of organisms that generally follow a latitudinal diversity gradient, most …

The origin of plants and their colonization of land fundamentally transformed the terrestrial
environment. Here we elucidate the basis of this formative episode in Earth history through …

Background The taxonomy of pines (genus Pinus) is widely accepted and a robust gene tree
based on entire plastome sequences exists. However, there is a large discrepancy in …

Fire is important to climate, element cycles and plant communities, with many fires spreading
via surface litter. The influence of species on the spread of surface fire is mediated by their …

Recent diversification followed by secondary contact and hybridization may explain complex
patterns of intra-and interspecific morphological and genetic variation in the North American …

Abstract Pines (n= 121 species) are important elements of forest ecosystems. They are
economically and ecologically valuable and are often at the center of efforts to manage …

Climatic changes and tectonic events in the Cenozoic have greatly influenced the evolution
and geographic distribution of the temperate flora. Such consequences should be most …

Premise of research. The extinct conifer genus Schizolepidopsis is characterized by deeply
bilobed ovuliferous scales bearing two adaxial seeds. Although it is frequently placed in …