science

Pinus matthewsii

Pinus matthewsii is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pinus matthewsii rather than just read about it. In short: Pinus matthewsii is an extinct species of conifer in the pine family. The species is solely known from the Pliocene sediments exposed at Ch’ijee's Bluff on the Porcupine River near Old Crow, Yukon, Canada.

Key takeaways

Pinus matthewsii belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pinus matthewsii to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pinus matthewsii from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pinus matthewsii is an extinct species of conifer in the pine family. The species is solely known from the Pliocene sediments exposed at Ch’ijee's Bluff on the Porcupine River near Old Crow, Yukon, Canada.

Type locality Pinus matthewsii was described from the three ovulate cone specimens all found at the Ch’ijee's Bluff locality, number HH228. This locality is in the Bluefish Basin and considered part of one of the most complete records of the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene in northwestern North America. The Bluefish and neighboring Old Crow basins were part of the unglaciated Beringian refugium of North America, which harbored the ancestors of the modern pine subsection Contortae. The subsection is thought to have radiated out from the refugium into the species P. contorta and P. banksiana. All the cones were preserved in the basal "unit 1" section of the Ch’ijee's Bluff outcrop. Unit 1 is composed of sands, gravels and clays, thought to have been forest floor which was rapidly covered by alluvial sediments.

History and classification Pinus matthewsii is known from only three fossils, the holotype, number "UAPC-ALTA P610", and the paratypes number "UAPC-ALTA 609" and "UAPC-ALTA 611". All three specimens, plus thin section slides are preserved in the paleobotanical collections housed in the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The specimens were studied by paleobotanists Athena D. McKown and Ruth A. Stockey of the University of Alberta Department of Biological Sciences, and Charles E. Schweger of the Department of Anthropology. Athena McKown and coauthors published the 2002 type description for P. matthewsii in the International Journal of Plant Sciences. In describing the species Athena McKown and coauthors chose the specific name matthewsii, in honor of John V. Matthews Jr. of the Geological Survey of Canada in recognition of his work on Tertiary and Quaternary paleoenvironmental reconstructions, through palynology and paleobotany, of Alaska and Yukon locations. The ovulate cones of Pinus matthewsii range from 3.4–4.4 centimetres (1.3–1.7 in) in length and 2.8–3.4 centimetres (1.1–1.3 in). While the overall morphology and structure of P. matthewsii cones compare to cones of the living species Pinus banksiana, notable differences occur. The elongated cones of P. banksiana have an asymmetrically reflexed cone base, while P. matthewsii are symmetrical and oval. Cones of P. matthewsii and P. contorta are also similar in structuring, however the combination of characters that are present in P. matthewsii are not found in any one of the subspecies of P. contorta. Similar to the modern habits of P. contorta, it is suggested that P. matthewsii may have been a shade intolerant tree which acted as a colonizer. This is supported by the seeds preserved within the cones, the seeds being small with long detachable wings. The combination of characters would support a large wind dispersal range.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pinus matthewsii

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pinus matthewsii claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pinus matthewsii before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pinus matthewsii ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pinus matthewsii

In research: Pinus matthewsii appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pinus matthewsii in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pinus matthewsii is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Extinct flora of North America, Fossil taxa described in 2002, Pinus, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pinus matthewsii outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pinus matthewsii in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pinus matthewsii means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pinus matthewsii out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pinus matthewsii in simple terms?

Why does Pinus matthewsii matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pinus matthewsii?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pinus matthewsii.