Prototaxites Dawson, 1859 or Nematophycus Carruthers, 1872: Geologists V. Botanists in the Formative Period of the Science of Paleobotany

A fossil plant found in the Devonian rocks of the Gaspé Peninsula of Canada provoked a heated debate in the late 19th century. When geologist John William Dawson identified it as an early land plant resembling a conifer (1859), he was challenged by botanist William Carruthers who argued it was a giant alga (1872). Until recently most scientists have tended to agree with Carruthers, but recent analysis suggest that neither Carruthers nor Dawson were fully correct. This paper focuses on the historical origins of the Prototaxites-Nematophycus debate, specifically on the role the debate played in the process of establishing methods within a new sub-field of paleontology. In large measure, Dawson and Carruthers disagreed over the identity and classification of this specimen because of their scientific training and areas of specialization. Carruthers and other botanists argued that the geologists who tended to dominate paleontology knew little about plant morphology and even less about the crucial identifying characteristics of the organs of fruitification. Alternatively, geologists, such as Dawson, had provided concepts and methods (eg. stratigraphy, mineralogy, geological time-scale) to paleontology, and they were not about to relinquish authority earned in previous decades.