Plant Evolution through the Lens of Plant Microfossils

We are pleased to announce this year’s Autumn Science Lecture Series which will run between October and December. Across five online lectures, guest speakers will discuss the fascinating subject of paleobotany, exploring plant evolution and prehistoric ecosystems.  

In this online event we will be joined by Dr Julia Gravendyck, lecturer in systematic botany at the University of Bonn. In her lecture, Julia will discuss ‘Plant Evolution through the Lens of Plant Microfossils’. 

Lecture details:

The history of plants is preserved not only in leaves and wood, but also in microscopic fossils such as pollen and spores. Abundant across geological time, these microfossils provide a powerful lens for reconstructing vegetation change and evolutionary transitions. Julia's lecture explores how they refine our understanding of plant evolution, from the earliest land plants to the rise of flowers. Recent discoveries of Early Cretaceous pollen shed new light on Darwin’s “abominable mystery” of angiosperm origins, while palynology also reveals how plant communities responded to mass extinctions. Together, these insights show how tiny fossils illuminate some of the biggest questions in botany: how plant communities coped with global crises, and where flowering plants first transformed Earth's ecosystems.

Other speakers within the lecture series include: 

▫️9th Oct| Dr Sandy Hetherington, evolutionary paleobotanist from Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.  

▫️23rd Oct | Dr Paul Kenrick, principal researcher in paleobotany at the Natural History Museum.  

▫️6th Nov | Dr James Clark, prize fellow and lecturer at the Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath.  

▫️20th Nov | Professor Jennifer McElwain FRS, Professor of Botany at Trinity College Dublin and Director of Trinity College Botanic Garden.