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What evidence suggests flowering plants may have existed during the Jurassic Period?
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Jurassic Period
Distribution of landmasses, mountainous regions, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins during the late Jurassic Period. Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are the locations of the interval's subduction zones.
While undisputed fossil evidence for angiosperms (flowering plants) does not appear until the Cretaceous Period, there is evidence suggesting they may have existed during the Jurassic Period.1
This evidence includes:
- Pollen findings: Researchers have reported the discovery of pollen material in Jurassic-aged rocks that bears a resemblance to that of angiosperms.1
- Insects: Fossils of insects have been found whose modern-day descendants are dependent upon flowering plants for survival, implying that angiosperms may have been present to support these ecological relationships during the Jurassic.1
Despite these indicators, the terrestrial ecosystems of the Jurassic were primarily dominated by gymnosperms, such as cycads, conifers, and ginkgos.12