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11 pages, 2136 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Fossil Species of Nothotsuga from the Mula Basin, Litang County, Sichuan Province and Its Paleoclimate and Paleoecology Significance

by Junling Dong, Zhe Li, Jingxin Gao, Qian Wang and Bainian Sun

Biology 2023, 12(1), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12010046 - 26 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2031

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a new fossil species, Nothotsuga mulaensis Z. Li & J.L. Dong sp. nov. The discovery of the fossil species was based on well-preserved fossil seed cones that were found in the Mula Basin in Xiamula village, Litang County, Sichuan [...] Read more.

In this paper, we describe a new fossil species, Nothotsuga mulaensis Z. Li & J.L. Dong sp. nov. The discovery of the fossil species was based on well-preserved fossil seed cones that were found in the Mula Basin in Xiamula village, Litang County, Sichuan Province, southwestern China. The shapes of these fossils were characterized by ovate seed cones, rhombic or suborbicular scales with auriculate bases, and the bracts were ligulate-spathulate in shape. This finding suggests that Nothotsuga once had a wide distribution range in China and that it also inhabited the eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP). Nothotsuga mulaensis was distributed in an intermountain lake basin, at altitudes from 2000 to 2300 m, in a warm and humid environment. This finding also suggests that the eastern TP may have provided good habitat for Nothotsuga during the Miocene. In addition, we propose that the uplift, accompanied by the severe cooling and aridification that occurred after the Miocene, caused the disappearance of this species of Nothotsuga in the eastern TP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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24 pages, 8218 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Jurassic Palynology from “The Dinosaur Coast” of Asturias (Lastres Fm., Northwestern Spain): Palynostratigraphical and Palaeoecological Insights

by Artai A. Santos, Laura Piñuela, Iván Rodríguez-Barreiro, José Carlos García-Ramos and José B. Diez

Biology 2022, 11(12), 1695; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11121695 - 24 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2911

Abstract

Abundant fossils of vertebrates (mainly footprints and bones of dinosaurs) and numerous invertebrates occur in the Upper Jurassic deposits of the Lastres Formation in the Asturias region, North of Spain. However, no palynological study has been published from this geological formation; therefore, much [...] Read more.

Abundant fossils of vertebrates (mainly footprints and bones of dinosaurs) and numerous invertebrates occur in the Upper Jurassic deposits of the Lastres Formation in the Asturias region, North of Spain. However, no palynological study has been published from this geological formation; therefore, much palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological information is still unknown. In this study, a total of 62 morphospecies, belonging to 49 different morphogenera were identified, including pollen, spores, algae remains, fungi spores, dinoflagellates, foraminifera, and scolecodonts from four different locations on the Asturian coast. Spores are the dominant group of palynomorphs, both in diversity and abundance, contrasting with the minor diversity of pollen grains. The age of some key taxa indicates that the palynological assemblage cannot be older than the Kimmeridgian, suggesting a Kimmeridgian-Tithonian age. The botanical and environmental affinities of the pollen and spores indicate the presence of different plant assemblages, including plant communities from humid areas such as the margin of rivers and small freshwater ponds that were dominated by bryophytes and ferns, and a coastal plant community that would inhabit arid areas and would be dominated by gymnosperms and some pteridophytes. The SEM analyses of wood remains show the abundance of charcoalified remains suggesting that wildfires were usual in “The Dinosaur Coast” of Asturias during the Kimmeridgian. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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16 pages, 1976 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Filmy Ferns (Hymenophyllaceae) and Associated Spike-Mosses (Selaginellaceae) from the Mid-Cretaceous Kachin Amber, Myanmar

by Ya Li, Yong-Dong Wang, Natalya Nosova, Ning Lu and Yuan-Yuan Xu

Biology 2022, 11(11), 1629; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11111629 - 7 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2892

Abstract

Filmy ferns (Hymenophyllaceae) are the most diverse lineage of the early-diverging leptosporangiate ferns with ca. 430 species widely distributed around the world but with the highest diversity in the humid tropics. However, their fossil record is scarce because of the low preservation potential [...] Read more.

Filmy ferns (Hymenophyllaceae) are the most diverse lineage of the early-diverging leptosporangiate ferns with ca. 430 species widely distributed around the world but with the highest diversity in the humid tropics. However, their fossil record is scarce because of the low preservation potential of the delicate, membranous laminae. So far, no Hymenophyllaceae fossils have been reported from tropical Asia. Here, we describe some fern remains and their syninclusions (spike-mosses) in four pieces of Kachin amber from the mid-Cretaceous of Hukawng Valley, Northern Myanmar, as Hymenophyllites angustus sp. nov., H. kachinensis sp. nov., H. setosus sp. nov. (Hymenophyllaceae) and Selaginella alata sp. nov. (Selaginellaceae), respectively. These fern remains are assigned to Hymenophyllaceae based on the filmy, one-cell thick, decompound pinnatifid laminae and dichotomous venation. They represent the first fossil record of Hymenophyllaceae in tropical Asia. The growth habits of these ferns and associated spike-mosses and their implication for paleoenvironment are discussed. Our study expands the diversity of the cryptogams in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. Together with other contemporaneous findings, the present fossils indicate that Hymenophyllaceae have already accumulated some notable diversity in the Cretaceous. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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17 pages, 4420 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Early Cretaceous Keteleerioxylon Wood in the Songliao Basin, Northeast China, and Its Geographic and Environmental Implications

by Xiao Shi, Yuewu Sun, Fanli Meng, Jianxin Yu and Zilie Lan

Biology 2022, 11(11), 1624; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11111624 - 7 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2146

Abstract

The extant Keteleeria is endemic to east and southeast Asia, while Keteleeria-like trees were widely distributed in the northern hemisphere in Earth’s history. In this paper, we reported a novel wood fossil of Keteleerioxylon changchunense Shi, Sun, Meng et Yu sp. nov., [...] Read more.

The extant Keteleeria is endemic to east and southeast Asia, while Keteleeria-like trees were widely distributed in the northern hemisphere in Earth’s history. In this paper, we reported a novel wood fossil of Keteleerioxylon changchunense Shi, Sun, Meng et Yu sp. nov., collected from the middle part of the Yingcheng Formation, Yingcheng Coal Mine, Changchun City, Jilin Province, northeast China. The quantitative growth-ring analyses of K. changchunense indicate that it was evergreen with a leaf longevity of 1–3 years, which is consistent with the foliar retention of extant Keteleeria. Its high ring-markedness index (RMI) indicates that the climate seasonality was pronounced during the Early Albian period in the Songliao Basin, northeast China. The fossil records of Keteleeria and closely related taxa indicate that this group might have originated from high latitudes in the northern hemisphere, then spread and migrated southward during the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, gradually decreased in the Cenozoic period, and so far only survives in east and southeast Asia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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10 pages, 2644 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fossil Fruits of Ceratophyllum from the Upper Eocene and Miocene of South China

by Shenglan Xu, Hanzhang Song, Helanlin Xiang, Weiqiu Liu, Cheng Quan and Jianhua Jin

Biology 2022, 11(11), 1614; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11111614 - 4 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2035

Abstract

Ceratophyllum L. is a cosmopolitan genus of perennial aquatic herbs that occur in quiet freshwaters. Fossils of this genus have been widely reported from the Northern Hemisphere, most of them occurring in the temperate zone. Here, we describe two species of fossil fruits [...] Read more.

Ceratophyllum L. is a cosmopolitan genus of perennial aquatic herbs that occur in quiet freshwaters. Fossils of this genus have been widely reported from the Northern Hemisphere, most of them occurring in the temperate zone. Here, we describe two species of fossil fruits discovered from subtropical areas of China. The fossil fruit discovered from the upper Eocene Huangniuling Formation of the Maoming Basin is designated as C. cf. muricatum Chamisso, and fruits discovered from the Miocene Erzitang Formation of the Guiping Basin are assigned to the extant species C. demersum L. The discovery of these two fossil species indicates that Ceratophyllum had spread to South China by the late Eocene and their distribution expanded in subtropical China during the Miocene. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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9 pages, 2297 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

A Flower Bud from the Lower Cretaceous of China

by Li-Jun Chen and Xin Wang

Biology 2022, 11(11), 1598; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11111598 - 1 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2449

Abstract

Background: Although various angiosperms (including their flowers) have been reported from the Yixian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of China, which is famous worldwide for its fossils of early angiosperms, no flower bud has hitherto been seen in the Early Cretaceous. Such a lack of [...] Read more.

Background: Although various angiosperms (including their flowers) have been reported from the Yixian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of China, which is famous worldwide for its fossils of early angiosperms, no flower bud has hitherto been seen in the Early Cretaceous. Such a lack of examples hinders our understanding of the evolution of flowers. Methods: The specimen studied in the present paper was collected from an outcrop of the Yixian Formation (the Barremian-Aptian, Lower Cretaceous) of Dawangzhangzi in Lingyuan, Liaoning, China. The specimen was photographed using a Nikon D200 digital camera, its details were observed and photographed using a Nikon SMZ1500 stereomicroscope, and some of its details were observed using a Leo 1530 VP SEM. Results: We report a fossilized flower bud, Archaebuda lingyuanensis gen. et sp. nov, from the Yixian Formation of China. The debut of Archaebuda in the Yixian Formation provides first-hand material for debate on the early evolution of angiosperm flowers and underscores the great diversity of angiosperms in the Yixian Formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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18 pages, 8609 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Fern-like Plant Xinhangia spina Gen. et sp. Nov. from the Upper Devonian of China

by Jiang-Nan Yang and De-Ming Wang

Biology 2022, 11(11), 1568; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11111568 - 26 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1847

Abstract

Palaeozoic fern-like plants show great diversity in their morphology and/or anatomy. Within this group, a novel taxon, Xinhangia spina gen. et sp. nov., is now reported from the Upper Devonian (Famennian) Wutong Formation of Anhui Province, China. The primary and secondary branches are [...] Read more.

Palaeozoic fern-like plants show great diversity in their morphology and/or anatomy. Within this group, a novel taxon, Xinhangia spina gen. et sp. nov., is now reported from the Upper Devonian (Famennian) Wutong Formation of Anhui Province, China. The primary and secondary branches are borne alternately and sometimes in a triseriate pattern. Spines are evident on the main axes or stems and on the primary branches. Vegetative ultimate appendages with recurved tips are alternate, usually dichotomous 1–2 times, and sometimes as an aphlebia located at the base of primary or secondary branches. Fertile ultimate appendages are alternate, usually dichotomous 1–2 times, and terminate in elongated and paired sporangia. The stele has a clepsydroid-like primary xylem with each end bearing a protoxylem strand. The secondary xylem surrounding the primary xylem illustrates uniseriate rays. With rare divisions in both the vegetative and fertile ultimate appendages, Xinhangia represents a morphologically primitive plant. It is of uncertain affinity at the class or order level. The stelar architecture suggests that the clepsydroid stele may not be emphasized in discussing the relationship among fern-like plants such as rhacophytaleans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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16 pages, 6366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reinvestigation of the Late Devonian Lycopsid Sublepidodendron grabaui from Anhui Province, South China

by Peng Xu, Le Liu and Deming Wang

Biology 2022, 11(10), 1544; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11101544 - 21 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2128

Abstract

South China displays Devonian strata with well-exposed outcrops and is regarded as a diversity hotspot of Late Devonian lycopsids. The heterosporous lycopsid Sublepidodendron grabaui has been studied for over ten years, with its general morphology, aerial stem anatomy, microsporangiate strobili, and growth architecture [...] Read more.

South China displays Devonian strata with well-exposed outcrops and is regarded as a diversity hotspot of Late Devonian lycopsids. The heterosporous lycopsid Sublepidodendron grabaui has been studied for over ten years, with its general morphology, aerial stem anatomy, microsporangiate strobili, and growth architecture reported. Based on new specimens from Guangde City, Anhui Province, this study provides further knowledge about the megasporangiate strobili and megaspores of S. grabaui. Its slender megasporangiate strobili occur singly or in pairs and occasionally bifurcate in the middle-upper portion. Each megasporophyll consists of a flattened pedicel and an adaxially curved lamina. The lamina forms a downturned heel at the base. Each sessile megasporangium contains at least eight Lagenicula-type megaspores with a small gula. The other observed characteristics of S. grabaui in this study conform to those previously known and are compared to relative coeval taxa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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12 pages, 2987 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Clue for the Late Eocene Freshwater Ecosystem of Central China Evidenced by New Fossils of Trapa L. and Hemitrapa Miki (Lythraceae)

by Zhuochen Han, Hui Jia, Xiangning Meng, David K. Ferguson, Mingyue Luo, Ping Liu, Junjie Wang and Cheng Quan

Biology 2022, 11(10), 1442; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11101442 - 1 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2041

Abstract

Both Trapa L. and the extinct Hemitrapa Miki are aquatic plants in the family Lythraceae, with abundant fossil records in Eurasia and North America in the Cenozoic. However, documented materials are mainly based on fruit and pollen grains without reliable leaf fossils. Here, [...] Read more.

Both Trapa L. and the extinct Hemitrapa Miki are aquatic plants in the family Lythraceae, with abundant fossil records in Eurasia and North America in the Cenozoic. However, documented materials are mainly based on fruit and pollen grains without reliable leaf fossils. Here, we report fossil leaves, fruit, and roots of Trapa and fruit of Hemitrapa from the late Eocene of Weinan, the Weihe Basin of central China. The fossil leaves are identified as a new species, Trapa natanifolia Z. C. Han et H. Jia sp. nov., which represents the earliest known record of a Trapa leaf fossil. It is remarkably similar to extant species of Trapa, mostly due to the unique inflated petiole structures found in both of them. While displaying prominent intergeneric differences, the incomplete fossil fruits are assigned to Trapa sp. indet. and Hemitrapa sp. indet. The former is the earliest fossil fruit record of Trapa, and the latter represents the earliest fossil record of Hemitrapa found in Asia. These new fossil discoveries suggest that the divergence of Trapa and Hemitrapa occurred at least by the late Eocene. It is believed that modern Trapa most likely originated in China. Furthermore, this unexpected aquatic plant fossil assemblage indicates that central China was warm and humid, with freshwater ponds or lakes, in the late Eocene and not as arid as previously thought. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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18 pages, 6268 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Late Miocene Leaves and Endocarps of Choerospondias (Anacardiaceae) from Zhejiang, Eastern China: Implications for Paleogeography and Paleoclimate

by Liang Xiao, Zeling Wu, Liyan Guo, Xiangchuan Li, Deshuang Ji, Xiaoyuan Xia, Jianan Wang, Jiaqi Liang and Nan Sun

Biology 2022, 11(10), 1399; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11101399 - 25 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2529

Abstract

Choerospondias (Anacardiaceae), characterized by radially arranged germination pores near the top, is a monotypic genus mainly distributed in subtropical and tropical eastern Asia, while fossil records indicate a wide distribution throughout Eurasia during the Cenozoic. In this study, we reported three-dimensionally preserved Choerospondias [...] Read more.

Choerospondias (Anacardiaceae), characterized by radially arranged germination pores near the top, is a monotypic genus mainly distributed in subtropical and tropical eastern Asia, while fossil records indicate a wide distribution throughout Eurasia during the Cenozoic. In this study, we reported three-dimensionally preserved Choerospondias endocarps, and the associated compressed leaves from the late Miocene Shengxian Formation in Tiantai, Zhejiang, eastern China. The plant remains were assigned to two new fossil species. The endocarps were identified as Choerospondiastiantaiensis sp. nov., and the leaves were identified as Choerospondias mioaxillaris sp. nov. Based on fossil records and climate fluctuation during the Cenozoic, we conclude that Choerospondias may have originated from Europe in the early Eocene and then spread to Asia along the coast and island chains of the Tethys and Paratethys oceans. The distribution position of the current fossils was adjacent to the northern boundary of the modern distribution of Choerospondias in East Asia, indicating that the distribution pattern of Choerospondias in East Asia likely formed no later than the late Miocene. We reconstructed the late Miocene paleoclimate of eastern Zhejiang by using the method of climate analysis of endemic species (CAES), and then compared it to the data reconstructed in previous studies. The results indicate that the late Miocene climate in eastern Zhejiang was similar to or warmer and more humid than the modern climate in this region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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16 pages, 7897 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Species of Comptonia (Myricaceae) from the Early Miocene of Central Inner Mongolia, China, and Phytogeographic History of Sweet–Fern

by Deshuang Ji, Liang Xiao, Liyan Guo, Xiangchuan Li, Zeling Wu, Jiaqi Liang, Meiting Wang, Xiaoyuan Xia, Nan Sun and Chaofeng Fu

Biology 2022, 11(9), 1326; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11091326 - 7 Sep 2022

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Abstract

Comptonia (Myricaceae) is well known as a monotypic genus living only in eastern North America; however, fossils show that the genus occurred extensively in the Northern Hemisphere during the Cenozoic. We observed dozens of Comptonia leaf fossils from the early Miocene in Zhuozi, [...] Read more.

Comptonia (Myricaceae) is well known as a monotypic genus living only in eastern North America; however, fossils show that the genus occurred extensively in the Northern Hemisphere during the Cenozoic. We observed dozens of Comptonia leaf fossils from the early Miocene in Zhuozi, China. The leaf architecture characteristics and epidermal features of the fossil specimens are described in detail here for the first time, and they were assigned to a new species: Comptonia hirsuta. The fruit fossils collected simultaneously from the same layer were assigned to Comptonia tymensis. The global fossil records indicate that the spatial distribution range of Comptonia reached its peak in both the Eocene and Miocene as two warm periods and then gradually decreased in the Oligocene, as well as after the late Miocene, because of the cooling global climate. Furthermore, the Comptonia taxon in East Asia may have migrated from North America via the Bering route in the late Paleocene or Eocene. Plant exchange between western Europe and eastern North America possibly occurred during the Eocene via the Thulean route. Phytogeographic variation in the Comptonia fossils from China also indicates that the reason for the disappearance of Comptonia from China may not only be due to the prolonged cooling and drying after the late Miocene, but also due to its progenitive pattern. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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16 pages, 69802 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Middle Miocene lotus (Nelumbonaceae, Nelumbo) from the Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibet Plateau

by Mingyue Luo, Hui Jia, Qijia Li, Xiangning Meng, David K. Ferguson, Ping Liu, Zhuochen Han, Junjie Wang and Cheng Quan

Biology 2022, 11(9), 1261; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11091261 - 24 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3071

Abstract

The Neogene environment and paleovegetation of today’s semi-arid and arid Central Asia remain elusive. Little is known about the effect of paleoclimatic change on the distribution and ecological response mechanisms of aquatic plants, especially on the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we report a new [...] Read more.

The Neogene environment and paleovegetation of today’s semi-arid and arid Central Asia remain elusive. Little is known about the effect of paleoclimatic change on the distribution and ecological response mechanisms of aquatic plants, especially on the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we report a new species of Nelumbo Adanson, including leaves, receptacles, and fruits, namely Nelumbo delinghaensis sp. nov., from the Upper Youshashan Formation of the upper Middle Miocene in the northern Qaidam Basin on the Tibetan Plateau. The new species comprises centrally peltate leaves with 12–15 actinodromous primary veins and a receptacle embedded with ca. 15–30 fruits, with an unlobed central disc. Megafossils of lotus from northwest China broaden the geographical and stratigraphic ranges of Nelumbo. Our findings suggest that a large freshwater lake body surrounded by temperate forests and grassland developed in the Qaidam Basin during the late Middle Miocene, in sharp contrast to the present desert vegetation. The climate used to be sufficiently warm and moist enough to support a forest-steppe ecosystem with abundant freshwater bodies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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12 pages, 3219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Early Cretaceous Flower and Its Implications on Flower Derivation

by Xin Wang

Biology 2022, 11(7), 1036; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11071036 - 11 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3377

Abstract

Background: The origin and early evolution of angiosperms, by far the most important plant group for human beings, are questions demanding answers, mainly due to a lack of related fossils. The Yixian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) is famous for its fossils of early angiosperms, [...] Read more.

Background: The origin and early evolution of angiosperms, by far the most important plant group for human beings, are questions demanding answers, mainly due to a lack of related fossils. The Yixian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) is famous for its fossils of early angiosperms, and several Early Cretaceous angiosperms with apocarpous gynoecia have been documented. However, a hypanthium and an inferior ovary are lacking in these fossil angiosperms. Methods: The specimen was collected from the outcrop of the Yixian Formation in Dawangzhangzi in the suburb of Lingyuan, Liaoning, China. The specimen was photographed using a Nikon D200 digital camera, and its details were photographed using a Nikon SMZ1500 stereomicroscope and a MAIA3 TESCAN SEM. Results: A fossil angiosperm, Lingyuananthus inexpectus gen. et sp. nov, is reported from the Lower Cretaceous of China. Differing from those documented previously, Lingyuananthus has a hypanthium, an inferior ovary, and ovules inside its ovary. Such a character assemblage indicates its angiospermous affinity, although not expected by any existing leading angiosperm evolutionary theory. Conclusions: New fossil material with a unique character assemblage falls beyond the expectation of the currently widely accepted theories of angiosperm evolution. Together with independently documented fossils of early angiosperms, Lingyuananthus suggests that at least some early angiosperms’ flowers can be derived in a way that has been ignored previously. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Palaeobotany)

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