The Piedra Chamana fossil woods and leaves: a record of the vegetation and palaeoenvironment of the Neotropics during the late middle Eocene

Abstract Background and Aims The Piedra Chamana fossil forest in northern Peru is an assemblage of angiosperm woods and leaves preserved in volcaniclastic rocks dated to 39 Mya (late Middle Eocene). We analysed the anatomical and morphological features of the fossils to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment during this time of global warmth, taking advantage of the co-occurrence of woods and leaves to compare different proxies and analytical approaches. Methods Wood characters analysed include vessel-related functional traits, traits linked to Baileyan trends, and quantitative features such as vessel diameter and density. Diameter-distribution and diameter and position plots are used to represent vessel diameter and arrangement. Leaf margin and area analysis provides additional climate estimates. Key Results The fossil woods show many similarities with modern tropical-forest woods and tropical fossil-wood assemblages; closest correspondence within the Neotropics is to semi-deciduous lowland tropical forest with moderate precipitation (~1000–1200 mm). Features unusual for the modern South American tropics are mainly vessel-related characters (semi-ring porosity, grouped vessels, helical vessel thickenings, short vessel elements) linked to water stress or seasonal water availability. Leaf analysis indicates mean annual temperature of 31 °C (n = 19, 100 % entire-margined) and mean annual precipitation of 1290 mm (n = 22, predominantly microphylls and notophylls). Conclusions The palaeovegetation was clearly lowland tropical forest with a dry aspect, but anomalous aspects of the wood anatomy are consistent with the high temperatures indicated by the leaves and are probably explained by differences in seasonality and water stress compared to the present-day Neotropics. A close modern analogue may be in very seasonal regions of Asia. Pronounced monsoonal (summer-rain) conditions may relate to a location (palaeolatitude of 13°S) outside the near-equatorial tropics.

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The Piedra Chamana fossil woods (Eocene, Peru), II

IAWA Journal ◽

10.1163/22941932-40190231 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 551-595 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

D.W. Woodcock ◽

H.W. Meyer ◽

Y. Prado

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Middle Eocene ◽

Dry Forest ◽

South American ◽

Lowland Tropical Forest ◽

Or Groups ◽

Freshwater Swamp ◽

Flooded Forests ◽

Fossil Forest ◽

Seasonally Flooded

ABSTRACTThis contribution presents descriptions of 14 fossil woods from the Piedra Chamana Fossil Forest in Peru, an assemblage of fossil woods and leaves dated at 39 Ma (late Middle Eocene). It is part two of the descriptions of the non-monocot angiosperm fossils from the site (see Woodcock et al. 2017). The woods are assigned to the subfamilies Bombacoideae, Bombacoideae/Malvoideae, Byttneroideae, Grewioideae, and Sterculioideae of Malvaceae and the families Melastomataceae, Muntingiaceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae, and Sapindaceae. Malvalean taxa make up around one-third of the wood types. Many of the woods are identifiable to modern-day genera or groups, including genera with species counted among the hyperdominant trees of the New World forests. Represented vegetation types include mixed freshwater swamp with Avicennia, seasonally flooded forest, and lowland tropical forest with a dry aspect. The assemblage shows floristic similarities to extant South American lowland tropical forest, particularly the seasonally flooded forests growing along white water rivers (várzea); however, the dry forest association has a less clear analog in the present-day tropics.

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An Eocene brontothere and tillodonts (Mammalia) from British Columbia, and their paleoenvironments

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjes-2017-0061 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 (9) ◽

pp. 981-992 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jaelyn J. Eberle ◽

David R. Greenwood

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Middle Eocene ◽

Volcanic Rocks ◽

Open Water ◽

Late Eocene ◽

Mean Annual Precipitation ◽

Mean Annual Temperature ◽

Forested Landscapes ◽

Radiometric Ages ◽

Age Range

We describe Eocene fossils of the tillodont Trogosus from the Allenby Formation in Princeton, British Columbia (B.C.), as well as teeth of Brontotheriina from the lower Australian Creek Formation near Quesnel, B.C. These fossils represent the only occurrence of Tillodontia and Brontotheriidae in B.C. Further, the presence of the largest species of Trogosus — T. latidens — as well as a smaller species identified only as Trogosus sp. supports a late early – early middle Eocene (Bridgerian) age for the Vermilion Bluffs Shale of the Allenby Formation. Based on their morphology and large size, the teeth referred here to Brontotheriina represent one of the larger, more derived brontothere genera, and suggest a Uintan–Chadronian (middle–late Eocene) age range for the lower Australian Creek Formation that is consistent with radiometric ages of underlying volcanic rocks. Paleobotanical data from sediments correlative to those that produced these Eocene mammal fossils suggest they inhabited forested landscapes interspersed with swamps and open water environments, under mild and wet temperate climates (mean annual temperature (MAT) ∼10–16 °C; cold month mean temperature (CMMT) −4–4 °C; mean annual precipitation (MAP) >100 cm/year). These mixed conifer–broadleaf forests included tree genera typical of modern eastern North American forests (e.g., Tsuga, Acer, Fagus, and Sassafras), together with genera today restricted to east Asia (e.g., Metasequoia, Cercidiphyllum, Dipteronia, and Pterocarya). The paleobotanical evidence is consistent with the hypothesized habitats of both tillodonts and brontotheres.

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The Eocene Thomas Ranch flora, Allenby Formation, Princeton, British Columbia, Canada

Botany ◽

10.1139/cjb-2012-0313 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 91 (8) ◽

pp. 514-529 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Richard M. Dillhoff ◽

Thomas A. Dillhoff ◽

David R. Greenwood ◽

Melanie L. DeVore ◽

Kathleen B. Pigg

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Deciduous Forest ◽

Middle Eocene ◽

Annual Precipitation ◽

Temperate Climate ◽

Mean Annual Precipitation ◽

Mean Annual Temperature ◽

Mixed Conifer ◽

Leaf Analysis ◽

High Uncertainty

A flora from Thomas Ranch near Princeton, British Columbia, Canada, is assessed for biodiversity and paleoclimate. This latest Early to early Middle Eocene flora occurs in the Allenby Formation. Seventy-six megafossil morphotypes have been recognized, representing at least 62 species, with 29 identified to genus or species. Common taxa include Ginkgo L., Metasequoia Miki, Sequoia Endl., Abies Mill., Pinus L., Pseudolarix Gordon, Acer L., Alnus Mill., Betula L., Fagus L., Sassafras J Presl, Macginitiea Wolfe & Wehr, Prunus L., and Ulmus L. More than 70 pollen and spore types are recognized, 32 of which are assignable to family or genus. The microflora is dominated by conifers (85%–97% abundance), with Betulaceae accounting for most of the angiosperms. The Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP) calculates a mean annual temperature (MAT) of 9.0 ± 1.7 °C and bioclimatic analysis (BA) calculates a MAT of 12.8 ± 2.5 °C. Coldest month mean temperature (CMMT) was >0 °C. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) was >70 cm/year but is estimated with high uncertainty. Both the CLAMP and BA estimates are at the low end of the MAT range previously published for other Okanagan Highland localities, indicating a temperate climate consistent with a mixed conifer–deciduous forest.

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THE PALEOBOTANY AND PALEOECOLOGY OF THE EOCENE HERREN BEDS OF NORTH-CENTRAL OREGON, USA

Palaios ◽

10.2110/palo.2019.014 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (9) ◽

pp. 424-436 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

ANTHONY P. JIJINA ◽

ELLEN D. CURRANO ◽

KURT CONSTENIUS

Keyword(s):

Pacific Northwest ◽

Middle Eocene ◽

Plant Macrofossils ◽

Mean Annual Precipitation ◽

Future Research ◽

Mean Annual Temperature ◽

Leaf Margin ◽

North Central ◽

The Pacific ◽

Margin Analysis

ABSTRACT New collections of plant macrofossils and radiometric dates from the Herren beds of north-central Oregon provide the opportunity to document floral communities and calculate foliar-derived climate estimates from the warm early Eocene and the cooler middle Eocene. Plant macrofossils were collected from one fluvial site at East Birch Creek approximately 2 m below a 51.9 ± 0.9 Ma tuff. Collections were also made at two co-occurring fluvial sites at Arbuckle Mountain, whose ages are constrained to ca. 44.5–43.8 Ma based on a dated tuff from Willow Creek (44.5 ± 0.8 Ma) and reported ages for the overlying Clarno Formation. Floral findings show an almost complete vegetation overturn, with only two genera (Glyptostrobus and Allantodiopsis) appearing in both floras. Both floras are species poor, but the older East Birch Creek flora has higher richness and evenness than the younger Arbuckle Mountain flora. The four named genera at East Birch Creek are taxa found throughout Eocene North America; named genera at Arbuckle Mountain also include taxa restricted to the Pacific Northwest. Leaf margin analysis and leaf area analysis of the East Birch Creek community suggest a warmer and possibly wetter (mean annual temperature 23.4 ± 4.3 °C; mean annual precipitation 206 +89, -63 cm) climate than the Arbuckle Mountain flora (16.4 ± 4.2 °C; 165 +50, -71.4 cm). This research provides a framework for future research on Eocene floristic, environmental, and climatic trends of the Pacific Northwest.

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Genetic Regulation of Vessel Morphology in Populus

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.705596 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

F. Daniela Rodriguez-Zaccaro ◽

Isabelle M. Henry ◽

Andrew Groover

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Quantitative Trait Loci ◽

Genetic Control ◽

Quantitative Trait ◽

Gene Dosage ◽

Vessel Diameter ◽

Phenotypic Traits ◽

Vessel Morphology ◽

Vessel Elements ◽

Trait Loci

During secondary growth, forest trees can modify the anatomy of the wood produced by the vascular cambium in response to environmental conditions. Notably, the trees of the model angiosperm genus, Populus, reduce the risk of cavitation and hydraulic failure under water stress by producing water-conducting vessel elements with narrow lumens, which are more numerous and more interconnected with each other. Here, we determined the genetic architecture of vessel traits affecting hydraulic physiology and resilience to water stress. Vessel traits were measured for clonally replicated genotypes of a unique Populus deltoides x nigra population carrying genomically defined insertions and deletions that create gene dosage variation. We found significant phenotypic variation for all traits measured (mean vessel diameter, height-corrected mean vessel diameter, vessel frequency, height-corrected vessel frequency, vessel grouping index, and mean vessel circularity), and that all traits were under genetic control and showed moderate heritability values, ranging from 0.32 to 0.53. Whole-genome scans of correlations between gene dosage and phenotypic traits identified quantitative trait loci for tree height, mean vessel diameter, height-corrected mean vessel diameter, height-corrected vessel frequency, and vessel grouping index. Our results demonstrate that vessel traits affecting hydraulic physiology are under genetic control, and both pleiotropic and trait-specific quantitative trait loci are found for these traits.

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Eco-Anatomical Wood Features of Species from a Very Dry Tropical Forest

IAWA Journal ◽

10.1163/22941932-90001370 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 361-376 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Helga Lindorf

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Wood Anatomy ◽

Small Diameter ◽

Vessel Diameter ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Vessel Element ◽

Deep Roots ◽

Vessel Element Length ◽

Vessel Elements ◽

Hydraulic Safety

In 19 species of a very dry forest in Venezuela vessel diameter, vessel frequency, vessel grouping, vessel element length, and intervessel pit size, were studied and compared with data from other habitats. A predominance of characters that presumably contribute to hydraulic safety was observed: numerous grouped vessels of small diameter, short vessel elements, and minute intervessel pits. In some species, a xeromorphic wood anatomy coexists together with adaptations such as deciduousness, xeromorphic foliage, deep or superficially-extended roots, and succulence. In other species studied, the presence of xerophytic adaptations such as assimilating stems, succulence, and deep roots, seem to mitigate the xeromorphic wood appearance and, to some extent, lend it a mesomorphic character.

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The Piedra Chamana fossil woods (Eocene, Peru)

IAWA Journal ◽

10.1163/22941932-20170175 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 313-365 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

D.W. Woodcock ◽

H.W. Meyer ◽

Y. Prado

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Preliminary Analysis ◽

Middle Eocene ◽

Lowland Tropical Forest ◽

Peruvian Andes ◽

Anatomical Characteristics ◽

Fossil Forest

The fossil woods and leaves of the Fossil Forest Piedra Chamana represent a diverse assemblage of plants dating to 39 Ma (late Middle Eocene). The fossils are preserved in an ashfall and overlying lahar deposits near the small village of Sexi in the northern Peruvian Andes (central Cajamarca). The assemblage includes dicot wood types and leaf morphotypes, as well as a diversity of monocot material. The ~30 dicot wood types are referred to the families Acanthaceae, Anacardiaceae, Apocynaceae, Combretaceae, Cordiaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lechythidaceae, Lythraceae, Malvaceae, Melastomataceae, Muntingiaceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae, and Sapindaceae. Described herein are descriptions of the first 17 wood types that have been assigned to the families Acanthaceae through Lythraceae; descriptions of the additional wood types will appear in a later paper. The paleovegetation can be characterized as lowland tropical forest with a dry aspect based on preliminary analysis of floristic affinities and wood anatomical characteristics of the fossils.

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FEEDBACK OF WATER STRESS ON WOOD PROPERTIES OF TREES: EXPERIMENTS WITH MISTLETOES ON RHODODENDRON ARBOREUM SM.

Ecoprint An International Journal of Ecology ◽

10.3126/eco.v11i1.140 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mohan P. Devkota ◽

Gerhard Glatzel

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Wood Anatomy ◽

Wood Properties ◽

Vessel Diameter ◽

Conservation Area ◽

Rhododendron Arboreum ◽

Central Nepal ◽

Inhibition Of Growth ◽

Infected Area ◽

Anatomical Parameters

Effects of infection by the mistletoe Scurrula elata (Edgew.) Danser, on wood properties of its common host Rhododendron arboreum Sm., were studied in the Annapurna Conservation Area of Central Nepal Himalaya. Heavy infection by mistletoes invariably causes decline of the host. Infested branches show inhibition of growth, defoliation and eventual death of branch parts distal to the site of infection. Anatomical properties of wood were compared in samples of branches proximal to the infection and in uninfected branches. The hypothesis that infection induces changes in basic wood anatomy could not be proven. Vessel density, vessel area, percentage lumen area and mean vessel diameter of the wood of infested and uninfected branches did not show any significant differences. The studied anatomical parameters were not correlated to the diameter of the host branch. These results show that infection by S. elata did not cause any changes in basic wood anatomy of its host R. arboreum. It appears that the studied anatomical parameters of Rhododendron wood are fairly stable and are not changed by stress due to infection by mistletoes. The damage to the host distal to the infected area most likely results from an insufficiency of total conductive area to supply both mistletoe and host. Unfortunately we could not determine annual conductive area increment, because R arboreum does not develop usable annual tree rings in the climate of the study area. Key words: Himalayas, mistletoe. Rhododendron arboreum, Scurrula elata, water stress, wood anatomy. Ecoprint Vol.11(1) 2004.

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Biological and extrinsic correlates of extinction risk in Chinese lizards

Current Zoology ◽

10.1093/cz/zoab040 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yuxi Zhong ◽

Chuanwu Chen ◽

Yanping Wang

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Species Traits ◽

Geographic Range ◽

Range Size ◽

Habitat Specialization ◽

Mean Annual Precipitation ◽

Mean Annual Temperature ◽

Small Range ◽

Extrinsic Factors

Abstract China is a country with one of the most species rich reptile faunas in the world. However, nearly a quarter of Chinese lizard species assessed by the China Biodiversity Red List are threatened. Nevertheless, to date, no study has explicitly examined the pattern and processes of extinction and threat in Chinese lizards. In this study, we conducted the first comparative phylogenetic analysis of extinction risk in Chinese lizards. We addressed the following three questions: 1) What is the pattern of extinction and threat in Chinese lizards? 2) Which species traits and extrinsic factors are related to their extinction risk? 3) How can we protect Chinese lizards based on our results? We collected data on ten species traits (body size, clutch size, geographic range size, activity time, reproductive mode, habitat specialization, habitat use, leg development, maximum elevation, and elevation range) and seven extrinsic factors (mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, mean annual solar insolation, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), human footprint, human population density, and human exploitation). After phylogenetic correction, these variables were used separately and in combination to assess their associations with extinction risk. We found that Chinese lizards with small geographic range, large body size, high habitat specialization, and living in high precipitation areas were vulnerable to extinction. Conservation priority should thus be given to species with the above extinction-prone traits so as to effectively protect Chinese lizards. Preventing future habitat destruction should also be a primary focus of management efforts because species with small range size and high habitat specialization are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss.

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