Early land plant phytodebris

Abstract Historically, phytodebris (often considered a type of non-pollen palynomorph – NPP) has played prominent role in research into the fossil record early land plants. This consists cuticles and cuticle-like sheets, various tubular structures (including tracheids tracheid-like tubes) sundry other enigmatic fragments. Initial focused on elucidating their morphology, attempts to identify them situ plant megafossils comparisons with potentially homologous extant The fragmentary nature these remains, associated difficulties positively identifying presence fossil/extant plants, resulted vigorous debate regarding what many microfossils actually represented relevance studies. More recently wider array analytical techniques been applied (e.g. ultrastructural analysis, geochemistry taphonomic experiments). However, positive identification affinities at least some fossils remained elusive. Ongoing investigations based exceptionally preserved material from Lagerstätten (charcoalified silicified) seem have finally demonstrated that more remains derive nematophytes probably represent fungi possibly also lichenized fungi.