Advances in the Studies of the Origin and Systematics of Pteridophytes
蕨类植物起源与系统发生关系研究进展

Pteridophytes have a longer evolutionary history and have endured greater losses of phylogenetical information than spermatophytes. Therefore, reconstructing the evolutionary history of pteridophytes has been a challenge to systematists. Recently, combined molecular and morphological studies confirm the systematic positions of some lineages of pteridophytes. The emergence of early pteridophyte was traced back more than 400 million years ago, but many taxa lacked fossil records. So, questions remain unsolved regarding the origin time and pattern of pteridophyte and the internal phylogeny of its members. It is suggested that future studies of the origin and evolution of pteridophytes place emphasis on synthetic analysis of morphology, stratigraphic sequences, and multi-gene systematics.