Abstract

The rise of complex eukaryotic life on land represents one of the great transitions in Earth history. This major transition occurred during the Phanerozoic eon that started roughly 540 million years ago (Ma) and takes us through to the present day. At the beginning of the Phanerozoic, life on land was microbial and likely marginal but this was all about to change. Plants, animals and fungi diversified in unison and by the Devonian period roughly 380 Ma the terrestrial surface was covered in forests, harbouring complex fungal symbionts and a large diversity of animals including insects and tetrapods. Establishing what underpinned this radiation of life on land represents a key goal in evolutionary biology. However, it is also challenging as it requires piecing together data taken from a fragmentary and biased fossil record. In the talk I will describe how exceptionally preserve fossils from the United Kingdom provide unique insights onto the diversification of life on land including the evolution of plant leaves and the complex interactions between plants, animals and fungi.

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