Aimad Mazouar , Habiba Aassoumi , Evelyn Kustatscher , Abdelkarim Ait Baha , Maria Mazouar , Hans Kerp
{"title":"Cisuralian plant fossils from Khenifra (Central Morocco): Palaeoenvironmental and palaeobiogeographical reconstructions","authors":"Aimad Mazouar , Habiba Aassoumi , Evelyn Kustatscher , Abdelkarim Ait Baha , Maria Mazouar , Hans Kerp","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105186","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105186","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study focuses on newly collected plant fossils from the Cisuralian successions of the Khenifra Basin in Central Morocco, revealing a diverse assemblage dominated by conifers, pteridosperms, and sphenophytes. The assemblage includes eleven taxa of vegetative and reproductive organs preserved as compressions and impressions. Two pteridosperm species taxa (<em>Neurodontopteris auriculata, Odontopteris subcrenulata</em>) are recorded for the first time from Central Morocco, whereas other taxa are known from the early Permian deposits of Bou Achouch and Tiddas basins. Contrary to previous interpretations, the flora is does not exhibit a mixed character, but instead exhibits a distinct Euramerican affinity, despite the absence of the widespread callipterids <em>Autunia conferta</em> and <em>A. naumannii</em>. These similarities between this flora and coeval Euramerican floras highlight the significant biogeographical connections across Pangea during the Cisuralian. The plant fossil assemblage is dominated by meso- to xerophilous species adapted to drought, with rare hygrophilous elements adapted to humid habitats, reflecting a heterogeneous landscape with various vegetation types.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"330 ","pages":"Article 105186"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142128811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Márcia Mendes , Zélia Pereira , Cristina Rodrigues , Pedro Claude Nsungani
{"title":"New pollen taxon Syncolpraedapollis angolensis nov. gen. sp. nov.: A noteworthy discovery reported in the preliminary investigation of the latest Eocene-latest Oligocene deposits in the Kwanza Basin, Angola","authors":"Márcia Mendes , Zélia Pereira , Cristina Rodrigues , Pedro Claude Nsungani","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105178","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105178","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A palynostratigraphic study of the upper Cunga and lower Quifangondo deposits in the Cabo de São Brás section, Kwanza Basin, Angola, has revealed a new pollen named <em>Syncolpraedapollis angolensis</em> nov. gen. sp. nov. This finding was part of a wider survey in the upper Cunga and lower Quifangondo deposits of the Cabo de São Brás section, Kwanza Basin, Angola, covering the latest Eocene to the latest Oligocene.</p><p>The novel pollen features unique characteristics, notably a 3-syncolporate structure with well-defined and distinctive pores. The pollen grain is adorned with a free but irregular reticulum with an irregular polygonal mesh. <em>Syncolpraedapollis angolensis</em> nov. gen. sp. nov. is sporadically but consistently observed within the latest Eocene-latest Oligocene interval, conspicuously absent in the underlying Eocene sediments (lower Cunga Formation) and occurring infrequently in the latest Oligocene sediments (lower Quifangondo Formation). Thus, it is plausible to infer a limited age range, likely restricted to the latest Eocene-latest Oligocene, as previous studies in the Kwanza Basin have not documented this pollen.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"330 ","pages":"Article 105178"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034666724001295/pdfft?md5=0b230473b68ae188c3dc5f14464106a2&pid=1-s2.0-S0034666724001295-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142175837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fossil record of Meliolaceae from India sheds new insight into its taxonomy and life cycle","authors":"Sampa Kundu, Mahasin Ali Khan","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105177","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The asexual morph of Meliolaceae has long been a focus of attention for mycologists because there has been a lack of research to establish the asexual morph cycle of Meliolaceae. Besides asexual morph, only a few research works have also been done on the setae (mainly ascomatal setae) of Meliolaceae. In this connection, the use of reliable fossil evidence in evolutionary studies is obligatory. The present study fills this lacuna by reporting the in-situ occurrence of a new enigmatic fossil-genus and species <em>Palaeomeliola indica</em> Kundu and Khan, gen. et sp. nov. with mycelial setae, ascomata, ascomatal setae, ascomatal conoid cells, 4-septate ascospores, phialides, and phialoconidia on the cuticle fragments of a compressed disease-symptomatic monocot leaf recovered from the middle Siwalik (Late Miocene; ca. 12–8 Mya) of Himachal Pradesh, western Himalaya. <em>Palaeomeliola indica</em> is the first fossil-species of Meliolaceae having all sexual and asexual morphs. From this point of view, our new fossil fungus is very distinctive and establishes the greatest preserved fossil record of Meliolaceae. The preserved sexual and asexual morph data sheds new insight into the systematics, life cycle, and evolutionary lineages of Meliolaceae. Furthermore, the findings of this study will form the basis for any future life cycle reconstruction and morphological character evolutionary study of Meliolaceae.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 105177"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142041026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kuber P. Bhatta , Xianyong Cao , Vivian A. Felde , John-Arvid Grytnes , Hilary H. Birks , H. John B. Birks
{"title":"Fossil pollen data can reconstruct robust spatial patterns of biodiversity in the past","authors":"Kuber P. Bhatta , Xianyong Cao , Vivian A. Felde , John-Arvid Grytnes , Hilary H. Birks , H. John B. Birks","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105175","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105175","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Fossil pollen data are valuable for understanding past spatio-temporal variations in plant diversity. However, deducing robust patterns of fossil pollen-assemblage properties is challenging due to factors related to pollen production, dispersal, and fossilisation; sediment sampling; and nomenclature and taxonomy of the fossil pollen grains reflecting the vegetation that produced them. If the composition pattern of the most recent fossil pollen assemblage concords with those in modern or surface pollen assemblages from the same location(s), the pattern can be regarded as robust.</p><p>Using recent (50–500 years) fossil pollen and surface pollen assemblages of angiosperms compiled from the same geographic area of Central Asia, we analyse spatial patterns in compositional turnover and phylogenetic dispersion. These are widely used to quantify different aspects of plant diversity.</p><p>Despite differences in the data regarding spatial coverage, number of pollen records, and number of pollen taxa, the spatial pattern in the modern and fossil pollen-assemblage properties across climate zones is broadly similar. Especially, the latitudinal patterns of pollen-assemblage properties are strikingly similar between both data types. However, the degree of concordance varies according to the diversity metric being analysed, and the magnitudes of the metric may differ between both data types. When the data are compiled, processed, and standardised following consistent criteria and analysed using appropriate metrics and methods, spatial patterns in pollen-assemblage properties of fossil pollen data are as robust as those in surface pollen data (∼<!--> <!-->modern vegetation). Therefore, regional patterns of compositional turnover and phylogenetic dispersion can be confidently inferred from older fossil assemblages through the Holocene.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"330 ","pages":"Article 105175"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142175838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xu-Dong Gou , Qun Sui , Hai-Bo Wei , Ji-Yuan Yang , Yu Zhou , Zhuo Feng
{"title":"Leaf phenology and paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental insights derived from Yiwupitys elegans of the Yiwu Jurassic Forest, Xinjiang, China","authors":"Xu-Dong Gou , Qun Sui , Hai-Bo Wei , Ji-Yuan Yang , Yu Zhou , Zhuo Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105176","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105176","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Many permineralized conifer stems and trunks have been documented from the Jurassic strata of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang), Northwest China. Xylem anatomical studies have showed that these stems and trunks belonged to a diverse range of plants. However, the leaf phenology and the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental significance of these fossil plants have rarely been studied. We quantitatively analyzed the anatomical characteristics of a permineralized conifer stem—<em>Yiwupitys elegans</em> Gou et Feng 2023—from the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation in northeastern Xinjiang, which has distinct and wide growth rings in the secondary xylem. Analyses of the Mean Sensitivity and Ring Markedness Index of the growth rings suggest that a stable paleoclimate with regular seasonal fructifications likely prevailed during the Middle Jurassic in this area. The statistical analyses of cell diameters and anatomical features of leaf traces in six successive growth rings indicate that this fossil plant was deciduous. Our study elucidates the ecophysiological characteristics of a Middle Jurassic conifer plant and provides new insights into the corresponding paleoclimate and paleoenvironment based on quantitative cellular analysis of the fossil stem.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 105176"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142020869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Composition of Paleocene forests from Antarctica based on fossil wood","authors":"Laura Jane Tilley","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105174","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105174","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A new assemblage of fossil wood of Paleocene age from Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, is described. Conifer species have been identified, belonging to the fossil genera <em>Agathoxylon</em>, <em>Phyllocladoxylon</em>, <em>Protophyllocladoxylon</em>, and <em>Podocarpoxylon.</em> Angiosperm fossil wood species are assigned to <em>Nothofagoxylon</em>, <em>Caldcluvioxylon</em>, and <em>Myrceugenellites</em>. New wood types have been described with possible affinity to Atherospermataceae and Asteraceae (daisy family). A newly identified fossil angiosperm species, <em>Aextoxicoxylon jacksius</em>, has been recorded from Antarctica for the first time. It shares traits with modern <em>Aextoxicon punctatum</em> and other <em>Aextoxicoxylon</em> wood from South America but is considered a separate species due to significant differences in vessel density, ray height, and frequency. This study indicates, in accordance with previous studies that conifers were the most common elements in the Paleocene Antarctic vegetation. In particular, <em>Agathoxylon</em> being the most dominant wood type. <em>Nothofagoxylon</em> was the most common angiosperm wood type. Overall the composition of the Antarctic Paleocene vegetation deduced from the presence of fossil wood resembles that of the modern warm to cool temperate forests of Tasmania, New Zealand and southern South America. Possible upland and lowland forest types have been identified, with the lowland forests likely most similar to the modern mixed cool temperate forests on South Island, New Zealand, and Tasmania. The upland forests were similar to the modern open canopy <em>Araucaria-Nothofagus</em> forests on the high Andes today.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"330 ","pages":"Article 105174"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142087591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hans Piena , Bas van Geel , Tom Hakbijl , Arie J. Kalis , Pim (W.O.) van der Knaap , Jacqueline F.N. van Leeuwen , Kees Nooren
{"title":"A microfossil-based object biogeography of a set of stocks from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam","authors":"Hans Piena , Bas van Geel , Tom Hakbijl , Arie J. Kalis , Pim (W.O.) van der Knaap , Jacqueline F.N. van Leeuwen , Kees Nooren","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105172","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105172","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In 2019 the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam acquired a set of oak stocks about which little was known. Radiocarbon wiggle-matching revealed that the tree used to make the stocks was likely felled around 1800 C.E., while ancient DNA indicated the tree's growing zone to be Central Europe. The question remained where and how these stocks were used. To answer these questions, traces of former use at the surface of the stocks were studied and sediment from cracks and holes in the stocks was analyzed for pollen, fungal spores, diatoms and other algae, phytoliths, and insects. The biogeographical information of the recorded taxa shows that the stocks had been used in the western Iberian Peninsula. Although the sediments could have entered in various ways and at various moments, a dungeon seems the most likely context in which these stocks have been used.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 105172"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034666724001234/pdfft?md5=fcb624b0df6e40bec51fc0a0aaba3338&pid=1-s2.0-S0034666724001234-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141985512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Iris I. Kuipers , Johanna H.A. van Konijnenburg-van Cittert , Friederike Wagner-Cremer
{"title":"A new species of Neocalamites from the Upper Buntsandstein (Anisian) of Üdingen (Rur Eifel, Germany)","authors":"Iris I. Kuipers , Johanna H.A. van Konijnenburg-van Cittert , Friederike Wagner-Cremer","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105173","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105173","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Well preserved Early-Middle Triassic plant fossils from Northwest Europe are relatively rare due to the environmental conditions within the Germanic basin during this time period. The only sphenophyte species commonly described in the floras that are found in the area, is <em>Equisetites mougeotii</em>. However, only stems without leaf sheaths were ever reported. Here, we describe sphenophyte stems with free standing leaves from the Upper Buntsandstein of Üdingen, Germany, which we attribute to the genus <em>Neocalamites</em> based on this characteristic and the difference, mainly in stem size, of the Üdingen material to <em>E. mougeotii</em>. Most of the material consists of internodal, infertile stems that are unbranched and vary in width. A few of these stems are three-dimensionally preserved. Due to the difference of the material to the other, rarely present, <em>Neocalamites</em> species reported from the Anisian of Western Europe, we propose the plant fossils from Üdingen to be a new species called <em>Neocalamites vanderburghii</em> n.sp.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 105173"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034666724001246/pdfft?md5=38816cb76e32fc7f9d09c0afd0b51d5a&pid=1-s2.0-S0034666724001246-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141985513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How many pollen grains should we count? – A basic statistical view","authors":"Chengyu Weng , Henry Hooghiemstra","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105126","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105126","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In pollen analysis, one question is often being asked: how many pollen grains should be counted for one sample? The proper count number should guarantee the reliability of the abundance (usually expressed as percentage) of the pollen taxa concerned in the sample. Practically, this number is usually more than 100 grains, but seldom over 1000. Most people tend to count <em>at least</em> 300 pollen grains (often of terrestrial plants)for each sample. However, this number is more likely based on the experience of earlier palynologists rather than on theoretical consideration. In this paper, we apply a simple statistical theory to evaluate the reliability of the observed pollen abundance with different total count number. The reliability is evaluated based on the error range. The results show that the reliability depends on both the true pollen abundance of the taxon concerned and the total count number: a low abundant pollen taxon needs a high count number to obtain a reliable data set. The conclusion is that there is no universal “proper” total count number for each sample. The total count number should be determined by both the abundance of the interested taxa and the research objective. The commonly used 300 grains may be good enough for most general vegetation reconstructions and for the accurate survey of pollen taxa with more than 10% abundance. For less abundant taxa, higher count numbers are suggested.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"330 ","pages":"Article 105126"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142223224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kelsey C. Boyd , Carlos E. Cordova , Haidee R. Cadd , Cassandra Rowe , Tim J. Cohen
{"title":"Taxonomic and environmental significance of Poaceae and Cyperaceae phytoliths from the Northern Territory, Australia","authors":"Kelsey C. Boyd , Carlos E. Cordova , Haidee R. Cadd , Cassandra Rowe , Tim J. Cohen","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105169","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105169","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Phytoliths are a valuable tool for reconstructing past grassy ecosystems. However, they are not commonly utilised as a palaeoecological proxy in Australia due to a lack of modern reference material from plants, particularly grasses. This study analyses phytolith reference material from 49 grass and 4 sedge species from the Northern Territory, Australia. This is used to develop a detailed classification scheme and multivariate morphospace analysis to examine taxonomic and ecological patterns of grass silica short cell phytolith (GSSCP) production within the Poaceae (grass) family. The results of detrended correspondence analysis show that grass subfamilies, tribes, and genera in this region can be differentiated through phytolith assemblages, and that these assemblages reflect the environmental conditions associated with various grass taxa. The developed detailed classification system and examination of co-occurrence patterns reduces redundancy of phytolith morphotypes across subfamilies, improving taxonomic and palaeoecological resolution of phytolith assemblages. Finally, based on the results of this study, a detailed scheme is presented for palaeoecological reconstructions in grassy ecosystems of northern Australia.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 105169"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034666724001209/pdfft?md5=d9e69aa82018411df2e678bc884a9375&pid=1-s2.0-S0034666724001209-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141949085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}