Quote: "Paleobotany, also spelled as palaeobotany, is the branch of botany dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (paleogeography), and the evolutionary history of plants, with a bearing upon the evolution of life in general."
The study of ancient plant life.
Fossilization processes: The various ways in which organic material can be preserved as fossils, including petrification, carbonization, and replacement.
The fossil record: The identification, classification, and interpretation of fossil plants, including the recognition of different groups and their evolution over time.
Geological time: An understanding of the various geological periods and their subdivisions, their chronology and time spans, and the various events that occurred during each period.
Plant anatomy: The identification and function of various plant structures such as leaves, stems, roots, and flowers, as well as their evolution over time.
Paleoecology: The study of the ecological relationships between plants and the environment in which they lived, including climate, geology, and other factors.
Biogeography: The distribution of plant species across different regions and their evolution over time, including the impact of continental drift and other geological events.
Paleoclimatology: The study of past climates and their impact on plant evolution and distribution.
Evolutionary biology: The principles of evolution and natural selection, as well as the mechanisms of genetic variation and adaptation in plants.
Molecular biology: The use of molecular techniques to study the genetics, evolution, and phylogenetic relationships of plant species.
Field techniques: The various methods used for paleobotanical fieldwork, including excavation, sample preparation, and data collection.
Paleoecology: The study of ancient ecosystems and how organisms interacted with their environments.
Palynology: The study of plant pollen and spores.
Dendrochronology: The study of tree rings to determine age and past environmental conditions.
Plant taphonomy: The study of fossilization and preservation of plant remains.
Paleoclimatology: The study of past climates and how they have influenced plant evolution.
Phylogeny: The study of the evolutionary history and relationships of plant taxa.
Anatomy and morphology: The study of the physical characteristics and structure of plant fossils.
Geobiology: The study of the interactions between organisms and their environments, including past and present ecosystems.
Paleobotanical systematics: The classification, identification, and naming of fossil plant remains.
Paleoenvironmental reconstruction: The use of plant fossils to reconstruct past environments and climates.
Paleoethnobotany: The study of the relationship between human societies and plant resources in the past.
Paleobotanical biogeography: The study of how plant species are distributed and how they have changed over geologic time.
Quote: "The prefix palaeo- or paleo- means 'ancient, old', and is derived from the Greek adjective παλαιός, palaios."
Quote: "A synonym is paleophytology."
Quote: "It is a component of paleontology and paleobiology."
Quote: "Paleobotany includes the study of terrestrial plant fossils, as well as the study of prehistoric marine photoautotrophs, such as photosynthetic algae, seaweeds or kelp."
Quote: "A closely related field is palynology, which is the study of fossilized and extant spores and pollen."
Quote: "Paleobotany is important in the reconstruction of ancient ecological systems and climate, known as paleoecology and paleoclimatology respectively."
Quote: "It is fundamental to the study of green plant development and evolution."
Quote: "Paleobotany has also become important to the field of archaeology, primarily for the use of phytoliths in relative dating and in paleoethnobotany."
Quote: "The emergence of paleobotany as a scientific discipline can be seen in the early 19th century, especially in the works of the German paleontologist Ernst Friedrich von Schlotheim, the Czech (Bohemian) nobleman and scholar Kaspar Maria von Sternberg, and the French botanist Adolphe-Théodore Brongniart."