Palaeozoic Palaeobotany of Great Britain

The Palaeozoic era was a time of major evolution and diversification of plants, as they adapted from aquatic to terrestrial habitats. This book covers the first 200 million years of the history of land evolution, showing how the main facets of vegetative evolution can be demonstrated at sites in Britain, and how the fossil record can be of value as an evolutionary and environmental indicator of the geological past, in general, as well as in Britain. In part a conservation tool, this volume also provides the most comprehensive bibliography of the subject yet published, providing an extensive review of research that has been carried out in the last two centuries.

Part 1 Introduction: Palaeozoic vegetational history; Palaeobotanical problems; The systematics of the plant kingdom; The choice of GCR sites. Part 2 History of research on British plant fossils: Silurian; Devonian; Lower Carboniferous; Upper Carboniferous; Permian. Part 3 Silurian: Palaeogeographical setting; Stratigraphical background; Evidence of pre-Silurian vegetation; Silurian vegetation; Silurian plant fossils in Britain; Pen-y-Glog Quarry; Llangammarch Wells Quarry; Rockhall Quarry; Cwm Craig Dhu Quarry; Capel Horeb Quarry; Perton Lane; Freshwater East. Part 4 Devonian: Palaeogeographical setting, Stratigraphical background; Devonian vegetatation; Devonian plant fossils in Britain; Targrove Quarry; Turin Hill; Llanover Quarry; Craig-Y-Fro Quarry; Ballanucater Farm; Auchensail Quarry; Rhynie; Bay of Skaill; Sloagar; Plaistow Quarry. Part 5 Lower Carboniferous: Palaeogeographical setting; Stratigraphical background; Early Carboniferous vegetation; Lower Carboniferous plant fossils in Britain; Lennel Braes; Whiteadder; Oxroad Bay; Weak Law; Kingwater; Pettycur; Kingswood End; Laggan; Loch Humphrey Burn; Glenarbuck; Puddlebrook Quarry; Moel Hiraddug, Teilia Quarry; Wardie Shore; Glencartholm; Victoria Park. Part 6 Upper Carboniferous: Palaeogeographical setting, Stratigraphical background; Late Carboniferous vegetation; Upper Carboniferous plant fossils in Britain; Nant Llech; Wadsley Fossil Forest; Cattybrook Claypit; Nostell Priory Brickpit; Llanbradach Quarry; Jockie's Skye. Part 7 Permian: Palaeogeographical setting; Stratigraphical background; Permian vegetation; The Palaeophytic-Mesophytic transition; Permian plant fossils in Britain; Stairhill; Middridge Quarry; Kimberly Railway Cutting.