Structure, development and reproductive biology are among the most intriguing facets of plant science. They also provide some of the best sources of data for deciphering the phylogeny of land plants. The paleobotany program at Ohio University is focused on integrating these data from fossil and living organisms to address questions about the evolution of terrestrial organisms.

We work with the full range of available fossils from Devonian through Tertiary deposits, and study specimens that show external morphology, internal anatomy, and ultrastructural features. We collect material from all around the World, and focus our efforts on developing whole-plant concepts for extinct species. Studies typically lead to an understanding of external form, internal anatomy, growth and development, reproductive mechanisms and embryogeny.

These whole-plant concepts allow us to include extinct species among living species in cladistic analyses to decipher the overall phylogenetic pattern within and among clades of terrestrial organisms.

Studies of fossil and living land plants are directed toward a fuller understanding of phylogeny and evolution. These are explored using data from morphological, anatomical, ultrastructural, developmental, and molecular characters. Evaluations of ontogeny, reproductive biology, and organismal interactions are emphasized in interpreting development of the modern flora within the context of evolutionary ecology.