# Frondose

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{{Short description|Property of organism shaped like a frond}}
{{About||abnormal leafy development or frondescence|Phyllody|fronds specifically in ferns|Fronds}}
{{wiktionary|frondose}}
[[File:Charnia.JPG|thumb|''[Charnia masoni](/source/Charnia)'', a frondose Late Ediacaran fossil with segmented, leaf-like ridges branching alternately to the right and left from a zig-zag medial suture]]
'''Frondosity''' (from Latin ''frondōsus'' meaning 'leafy') is the property of an organism that normally flourishes with [fronds](/source/fronds) or leaf-like structures.

Many frondose organisms are [thalloid](/source/thalloid) and lack the organization of tissues into organs, with the exception of [fern](/source/fern)s.

Frondosity is significant mainly for distinguishing particular types of [macroscopic algae](/source/Seaweed), and in [paleobotany](/source/paleobotany) and [paleontology](/source/paleontology), by analyzing features present in fossil biota.

Frondose macroalgae are relevant to the ecology of many marine and coastal ecosystems. Large frondose algae play an important role in the creation and functioning of healthy ecosystems from [kelp forest](/source/kelp_forest)s to similar habitats.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=M Martins|first1=Gustavo|last2=Hipólito|first2=Cláudia|last3=Parreira|first3=Filipe|last4=C L Prestes|first4=Afonso|last5=Dionísio|first5=Maria A.|last6=N Azevedo|first6=José M.|last7=Neto|first7=Ana I.|date=2016|title=Differences in the structure and functioning of two communities: Frondose and turf-forming macroalgal dominated habitats|journal=Marine Environmental Research|volume=116|pages=71–77|doi=10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.03.004|issn=1879-0291|pmid=27035366|bibcode=2016MarER.116...71M }}</ref> Yet, in [coral reef](/source/coral_reef)s, frondose seaweed can be recognized as harmful due to the link between [excessive blooms](/source/Algal_bloom) and coastal [eutrophication](/source/eutrophication).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Littler|first=Mark|s2cid=46638346|date=2013|title=The Nature of Macroalgae and Their Interactions on Reefs|journal=Research and Discoveries: The Revolution of Science Through Scuba|series=Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences |volume=39 |pages=187–198|doi=10.5479/si.1943667X.39.187 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/387394 }}</ref>

== Ediacaran biota ==

The [fossil record](/source/Taphonomy) from the [Ediacaran Period](/source/Ediacaran) is sparse, as more easily fossilized hard-shelled animals had yet to evolve. Most fossils of the time are only [faint impressions](/source/Trace_fossil), and the shapes of fronds are one of the few identifying traits available.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Frondose fossils are the longest studied of any Ediacaran remains, but, despite this, their affinities and biology are amongst the most controversial, ranging from animal to [protist](/source/protist) to plant or stem fungi.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Narbonne2004" />

The oldest members of the [Ediacaran biota](/source/Ediacaran_biota) include discoid (disk-shaped) and frondose forms.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Burzynski|first1=Greg|last2=Narbonne|first2=Guy M.|date=2015-09-15|title=The discs of Avalon: Relating discoid fossils to frondose organisms in the Ediacaran of Newfoundland, Canada|journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology|series=Ediacaran Environments and Ecosystems|volume=434|pages=34–45|doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.01.014|bibcode=2015PPP...434...34B |issn=0031-0182}}</ref> Discoidal fossils had been classified as [cnidaria](/source/cnidaria)n [medusae](/source/Jellyfish) before being redefined as [holdfast](/source/holdfast_(biology))s of frondose organisms, that is, the roots or stalks that held them to the sea bed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GA7-8JIh9IwC&dq=frondose+fossils&pg=PA195|title=The Rise and Fall of the Ediacaran Biota|last1=Vickers-Rich|first1=Patricia|last2=Komarower|first2=Patricia|date=2007|publisher=Geological Society of London|isbn=9781862392335|language=en}}</ref>

[Rangeomorphs](/source/Rangeomorphs) consist of branching "frond" elements, each a few centimeters long, each of which is itself composed of many smaller branching tubes held up by a semi-rigid organic skeleton. This self-similar structure proceeds over four levels of [fractal](/source/fractal)ity, and could have been formed using fairly simple developmental patterns. Rangeomorphs were radially symmetrical and likely [sessile](/source/Sessility_(motility)).<ref name="Narbonne2004">{{Cite journal| first1 = G. M. | title = Modular Construction of Early Ediacaran Complex Life Forms | journal = Science | volume = 305| issue = 5687| last1 = Narbonne | pages = 1141–1144 | date=Aug 2004 | issn = 0036-8075| pmid = 15256615 | doi = 10.1126/science.1099727|bibcode = 2004Sci...305.1141N | s2cid = 44647427 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

== Bryozoans ==
[Bryozoa](/source/Bryozoa)ns, marine invertebrates, grow in colonial structures. The patterns of growth may be used for identification. One of the identifiable forms of bryozoan colonies, is frondose. Frondose colonies are erect and have branches that are flattened like leaves.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://strata.uga.edu/cincy/fauna/bryozoanStudy/growthForms.html|title=Cincinnatian Fossils and Stratigraphy|website=strata.uga.edu|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref>

These frond-bearing bryozoans existed in both ancient and modern times. Large tree-like forms flourished in the [Triassic](/source/Triassic) and [Cretaceous](/source/Cretaceous), although frondose forms saw a decline in the [Jurassic](/source/Jurassic).<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Taylor|first1=Paul D.|last2=Ernst|first2=Andrej|date=2008-06-13|title=Bryozoans in transition: The depauperate and patchy Jurassic biota|journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology|series=Jurassic Marine Palaeobiology|volume=263|issue=1|pages=9–23|doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.01.028|bibcode=2008PPP...263....9T |issn=0031-0182}}</ref> A notable modern bryozoan with seaweed-like fronds is ''[Flustra foliacea](/source/Flustra_foliacea)''.

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

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Category:Plant morphology
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Frondose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frondose) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frondose?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.