Phylogenetic and Palaeoecological studies on Cretaceous Monocotyledon angiosperms from NorthGondwana (Brazil and Egypt )

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Our understanding of the evolution of monocots is based mainly on three sources: Morphoanatomy plus molecular data of extant taxa, and the fossil record. Flowers and vegetative parts of monocots share many characters so that early in the history of botanical research the group has been recognized as a natural unit. Recently, the relationship among the various families of monocots has also been solved based on molecular data. However, two major questions are still open. Firstly, when did major divergences in the group occur and secondly, where and why may have major radiation events in the history of monocots had an effect on their evolution at large. The latter questions can be mostly addressed in studying fossil material and the collection of (palaeo)ecophysiological data. New fossil material from North Gondwana of Cretaceous age will be used in order to better date some of the divergences among larger clades of monocots. This Cretaceous material will provide insights in understanding radiation events that may have been triggered by global changes and ecological adaptations to various habitats.