Core Insights - The research led by Professor Liu Lijing from Northwestern University has identified the earliest known charophyte fossils in the Tarim and Ordos basins of China, pushing the geological record of these fossils back by approximately 28 million years to the Late Ordovician period [1][2]. Group 1: Fossil Discovery - The discovered fossil samples are marine charophyte calcareous thallus fossils from the early Late Ordovician carbonate strata [2]. - The team named the fossil "Miracle Tarim Charophyte," with the holotype specimen sourced from the Tarim Basin [2]. Group 2: Evolutionary Significance - The fossils exhibit features such as branched structures and differentiated nodes, closely resembling modern charophytes, indicating a conservative evolution of charophyte thalli [3]. - The research confirms the evolutionary relationship between land plants and charophytes, providing critical evidence for the hypothesis that land plants originated from charophytes during the Ordovician period [3]. Group 3: Research Background - Liu Lijing's journey began in 2010 during her doctoral studies, where she discovered numerous "bead-like" broken fossils that were not typical red or green algae [4]. - Between 2010 and 2013, she meticulously documented over 10,000 carbonate thin sections, resulting in a valuable collection of 100,000 photographs that laid the groundwork for her later discoveries [4]. Group 4: Collaborative Efforts - Liu Lijing's research has benefited from collaboration with experts from various institutions, leading to significant breakthroughs in the interdisciplinary study of algae and land plant evolution [5]. - In 2019, she published important findings on Ordovician calcified cyanobacteria, contributing to the understanding of atmospheric CO2 levels [5].

中新网西安5月31日电 (记者 阿琳娜)记者31日从西北大学获悉，《自然-植物》(Nature Plants)杂志在北 京时间30日以长文形式在线刊发了西北大学地质学系刘丽静副教授等人的最新成果——《奥陶纪海洋轮 藻及其对陆地植物起源的启示》，宣告了在中国塔里木和鄂尔多斯盆地发现了地球上已知最早的轮藻门 化石。 已知最古老的轮藻门化石奇迹塔里 木轮藻Tarimochara miraclensis。西北大学供图 刘丽静介绍，此次发现的化石样本，是来自塔里木盆地晚奥陶世早期(凯迪早期)以及鄂尔多斯盆地晚奥 陶世早期(凯迪中期)(450Ma)的海相碳酸盐岩地层中的海生的轮藻钙质叶状体化石。因为该化石奇迹般 地保存了轮藻纲叶状体关键特征的正模标本来自塔里木盆地，于是团队把其骄傲地命名为奇迹塔里木轮 藻Tarimochara miraclensis gen.et sp. nov.。 该化石主轴上有轮生小枝，且有节与节间分化，节间上覆盖有纵向排列的皮层细胞，并且小枝也具有皮 层细胞。此外，还发现了稀少的可能是覆盖藏卵器的外壳化石。它们的叶状体和现生的轮藻非常接近， 表明轮藻叶状体演化非常保守。同时，由于其皮层细胞更多，缺 ...