Palaeobotany

Morphological trends in the fossil pollen of Decodon and the paleobiogeographic history of the genus

by Fridgeir Grimsson

2012
Fridgeir Grimsson, David K. Ferguson, Reinhard Zetter
International Journal of Plant Sciences

E. Allevato, M. Buonincontri, M. Vairo, A. Pecci, M.A. Cau, M. Yoneda, G.F. De Simone, M. Aoyagi, C. Angelelli, S. Matsuyama, K. Takeuchi, G. Di Pasquale, "Persistence of the cultural landscape in Campania (Southern Italy) before the AD 472 Vesuvius eruption: archaeoenvironmental data", Journal of Archaeological Science 39 (2012): 399-406 [ISSN: 0305-4403]

by Girolamo Ferdinando De Simone

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2011.09.026

Cultural landscapes were prominent during the Early Roman period when agronomic knowledge allowed the spread of... more Cultural landscapes were prominent during the Early Roman period when agronomic knowledge allowed the spread of intensive land exploitation in most of the available land. The aim of this contribution is to explore whether for the Campania region (Southern Italy) archaeoenvironmental data would support continuity or change in the cultural landscape of Roman tradition in the 4th and 5th centuries. To do so, new data from two sites located on the northern slopes of the Vesuvius, both buried by the AD 472 eruption have been investigated. Charcoal analysis, 14C dating, and chemical analysis of organic residues were carried out in order to study the landscape and the food production at these sites. The results suggest the persistence of the Roman cultural landscape until the 4th and 5th centuries in this area. The landscape is in fact strongly marked both in agriculture and woodland exploitation and management, being characterized by managed chestnut forests as well as valuable cultivations of walnut, large vineyards, olive groves, and probably orchards and crops. The integrated approach with archaeobotanical and archaeometric analyses proves to be a powerful method for the study of the past landscapes, providing a good insight into the environment. Furthermore, this study provided the most ancient evidence of chestnut silviculture for wood.

Macrobotanische resten in de terp Peins-Oost. Een onderzoek naar natuurlijke en antropogene vegetaties en vroege landbouw

by Annet Nieuwhof

A structural re-interpretation and revision of the type material of the glossopterid ovuliferous fructification Scutum from South Africa

by Rosemary Prevec

The Early Permian glossopterid fructification Scutum, described by Edna Plumstead in the 1950s from the Vereeniging... more The Early Permian glossopterid fructification Scutum, described by Edna Plumstead in the 1950s from the Vereeniging locality in the Karoo Basin of South Africa, was one of the first glossopterid seed-bearing organs to be found in organic attachment to Glossopteris leaves. Examination of the type material necessitated a revision of this plant fossil genus and a re-evaluation of described South African species. Key characteristics of the genus are the broad and prominent wing, and a low receptacle length to width ratio (<2:1). Specimens
of South African Scutum are currently attributed to three species, from two localities, but display intergrading morphological features that can be reasonably accommodated within a single species, S. leslii. Three-dimensional interpretation and reconstruction of impression fossils of Scutum fructifications preserved in attachment to Glossopteris leaves confirms that the seed-bearing surface of the receptacle faces the adaxial surface of the subtending leaf. The nature of the seed scars on the receptacle and their relationship to the peripheral wing of the fructifications is clarified.
Keywords: Scutum, Glossopteris, Permian, South Africa, Karoo Basin, fructification.

Changing landscape and grazing: macroremains from the terp Peins-east, province of Friesland, the Netherlands

by Annet Nieuwhof

Published in: Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 15, 2006.

This article seeks to contribute some new
insights to the discussion about the colonisation of themore This article seeks to contribute some new
insights to the discussion about the colonisation of the
North-Netherlands coastal area in the Iron Age. The aim
of the study presented here was to investigate whether
archaeobotanical research can demonstrate the absence
or presence of grazing and the changes in vegetation that
follow the development of the salt marsh and that may
be related to activities connected with human occupation.
The material studied was sampled in the terp of Peins
in the Dutch province of Friesland during the 1999
excavation. The beginnings of this terp can be dated in the
first century A.D., although a small dike and two parallel
ditches preceded it. The macroremains from these ditches
proved useful in describing the changes in the salt marsh
vegetation. It was shown that the salt marsh was not used
for grazing cattle prior to habitation. Grazing only started
at the time the first terp podium was raised.

Englum 9: Botanische resten

by Annet Nieuwhof

Published in: De leege Wier van Englum; Archeologisch onderzoek in het Reitdiepgebied (= Jaarverslagen van de Vereniging voor Terpenonderzoek 91) 2008.
Co-author: Henk Woldring

Englum 9: Botanische resten

by Annet Nieuwhof

Published in: De leege Wier van Englum; Archeologisch onderzoek in het Reitdiepgebied (= Jaarverslagen van de Vereniging voor Terpenonderzoek 91) 2008.
Co-author: Henk Woldring

Nuevos registros de Cycadales y Cycadeoidales del Triásico Superior del Río Biobío, Chile.

by Marcelo Leppe

Leppe, M y Ph. Moisan, 2003. Nuevos registros de Cycadales y Cycadeoidales del Triásico Superior del Río Biobío, Chile. Rev. Chil. Hist. Nat., 76: 475-484.

Paleobotánica del Triásico Superior del Río Bío-Bío, Chile: Clase Filicopsida

by Marcelo Leppe

Leppe, M., Abad, E., Moisan, P. y S. Palma-Heldt. 2006. Paleobotánica del Triásico Superior del Río Bío-Bío, Chile: Clase Filicopsida. Rev. Geol. Chil., 33(1): 81-107.

О нахождении ископаемых листьев платана - Platanus Sp. в Южной Армении (About the Finds of Fossilized Leaves of Platanus Sp. in Southern Armenia)

by Diana (Dina) Zardaryan

co-authored with Gabrielyan I., Roiron P., Gasparyan B.

Культура Древней Армении, Материалы республиканской научной сессии, XIV, Ереван, 2008, стр.321-328. Культура Древней Армении, Материалы республиканской научной сессии, XIV, Ереван, 2008, стр.321-328.

Reliability and resolution of the coexistence approach — A revalidation using modern-day data

by Guido Grimm

Authored by Grimm, Denk

The coexistence approach (CA) is widely used to reconstruct palaeoclimates for the Cenozoic. Most published CA... more The coexistence approach (CA) is widely used to reconstruct palaeoclimates for the Cenozoic. Most published CA analyses relied on climate data for nearest living relatives (NLRs) stored in the Palaeoflora database (PFDB). Here, we used more than two-hundred modern relevés (taxon lists of forest stands) from North American, Caucasian and East Asian forest regions in order to test the ability of CA/PFDB to estimate palaeoclimate. Since only data for mean annual temperature (MAT) are publicly available from the PFDB, we concentrated on this climate parameter. Two criteria were tested: ‘resolution’ and ‘reliability’ of CA/PFDB analyses. The CA assumes that for a given climate parameter (e.g. MAT; mean annual precipitation; coldest month mean temperature etc.) the interval shared by all or nearly all NLRs for a fossil assemblage is best describing the past climatic conditions. Narrow, i.e. well-resolved, intervals are desirable, since they describe most precisely the climate. Our results show that CA/PFDB is unable to reliably reconstruct the actual climates of most of the relevés analysed. CA/PFDB performed best for lowland and mid-altitude stands with MAT of ca 13–16 °C, while producing remarkably incorrect results for warmer lowland stands and cooler stands at higher elevations. This is mainly due to generally incorrect entries of MAT ranges of NLRs in the PFDB. Using corrected MAT tolerances, the reconstructed, low-resolved intervals (3 °C in exceptional cases, typically 5–10 °C) fall within the actual climates. Hence, only dramatic climate changes are likely to be captured in a CA analysis. This renders the coexistence approach useless for the quantitative reconstruction of palaeoclimate and calls for alternative approaches of investigating past climates by means of fossil plants.

Evolutionary history and systematic of Acer section Acer - a case study of low-level phylogenetics.

by Guido Grimm

Authored by Grimm, Denk, Hemleben

The phylogenetic and systematic position of all species of Acer section Acer from North America, East Asia, and... more The phylogenetic and systematic position of all species of Acer section Acer from North America, East Asia, and western Eurasia are evaluated using various splits-based networks (distance networks, bipartition networks), ITS motif analysis, and morphology. Molecular analyses are based on 276 ITS clones obtained from 101 specimens collected mainly from natural stands. The large sample size ensures to cover sufficiently inter- and intraspecific ITS variability of this group. Formerly recognised species are generally supported by ITS data and morphology; the combination of molecular (ITS) and morphological criteria allows defining seven (supraspecific) taxonomic groups prior to a phylogenetic reconstruction. Phylogenetic signals captured in modern ITS sequences are partly incompatible but clearly suggest that Acer section Acer underwent three major radiations. Horizontal gene flow is indicated between ancestors of extant taxa that are isolated at present times. The level of ITS derivation can be estimated and corresponds to levels of morphological differentiation and (palaeo-) biogeographical patterns. Based on our results we question the potential of cladistic approaches to infer low-level evolution in an adequate manner and demonstrate that speciation in members of Acer section Acer is not generally linked to cladogenesis. The data and methodologies provided here allow to trace pathways of low-level evolution and to analyse such data sets with a less restricted (non-dichotomous) dynamic concept.

Phase-Contrast X-Ray Microtomography Links Cretaceous Seeds With Gnetales and Bennettitales

by Guido Grimm

Authored by Friis, Crane, Pedersen, Bengtson, Donoghue, Grimm, Stampanoni

Over the past 25 years the discovery and study of Cretaceous plant mesofossils has yielded diverse and exquisitely... more Over the past 25 years the discovery and study of Cretaceous plant mesofossils has yielded diverse and exquisitely preserved fossil flowers that have revolutionized our knowledge of early angiosperms, but remains of other seed plants in the same mesofossil assemblages have so far received little attention. These fossils, typically only a few millimetres long, have often been charred in natural fires and preserve both three-dimensional morphology and cellular detail. Here we use phase-contrast-enhanced synchrotronradiation X-ray tomographic microscopy to clarify the structure of small charcoalified gymnosperm seeds from the Early Cretaceous of Portugal and North America. The new information links these seeds to Gnetales (including Erdtmanithecales, a putatively closely related fossil group), and to Bennettitales—important extinct Mesozoic seed plants with cycad-like leaves and flower-like reproductive structures. The results suggest that the distinctive seed architecture of Gnetales, Erdtmanithecales and Bennettitales defines a clade containing these taxa. This has significant consequences for hypotheses of seed plant phylogeny by providing support for key elements of the controversial anthophyte hypothesis, which links angiosperms, Bennettitales and Gnetales.

Monetianthus mirus gen. et sp. nov., a Nymphaealean Flower from the Early Cretaceous of Portugal

by Guido Grimm

Authored by Friis, Pedersen, von Balthaza, Grimm, Crane

Monetianthus mirus gen. et sp. nov. is described based on a single coalified flower from the Early Cretaceous (Late... more Monetianthus mirus gen. et sp. nov. is described based on a single coalified flower from the Early Cretaceous (Late Aptian-Early Albian) Vale de Agua locality, western Portugal. The flower is actinomorphic and probably bisexual, with a perianth of nine or 10 tepals, an androecium of 20 stamens, and a syncarpous gynoecium with a partly inferior ovary of 12 carpels arranged radially around a central column. Phyllotaxis of tepals and stamens is uncertain. Nondestructive synchrotron radiation x-ray tomographic microscopy of internal structures documents laminar placentation with around six anatropous and ascending ovules in each locule. Comparison of Monetianthus with living plants indicates a clear relationship to extant Nymphaeales in particular with the Barclaya and Nymphaeoideae clade. Monetianthus thus provides evidence of crown group Nymphaeales, and probably crown group Nymphaeaceae, at a very early stage in the initial diversification of flowering plants.

The biogeographic history of beech trees

by Guido Grimm

Authored by Denk, Grimm

Biogeographic histories cannot solely rely on cladistic reconstructions. First, a cladogram may be an insufficient... more Biogeographic histories cannot solely rely on cladistic reconstructions. First, a cladogram may be an insufficient representation of evolution, in particular at low taxonomic levels (here: intrageneric evolution). Diversification and speciation in plants is complex, rarely resulting in a single unambiguous tree-like genealogy. Second, the modern distribution of a monophyletic group (here: genus Fagus) may be highly incomplete. For instance, important areas such as Central Asia and Iceland no longer include the taxon. Third, incorporating fossil taxa, including potential ancestors of modern taxa, into a cladistic phylogeny may be intrinsically difficult. All three issues apply to the Northern Hemispheric genus Fagus, the beech trees. In this study, we use the exceptionally complete fossil record of Fagus to trace its spatiotemporal unfolding throughout the Cainozoic. Fossil taxa are placed in a phylogenetic framework following Darwinian classification by identifying common ancestries and overall patterns of similarity. These lines of evidence are then combined to put up a holistic biogeographic history of Fagus in the Cainozoic, which is discussed in the light of general patterns of morphological and molecular differentiation and diversification. Based on the fossil record, Fagus evolved in the Northern Pacific region. Earliest fossils are known both from Northeast Asia and north-western North America (possibly extending to Axel Heiberg Island) in the Middle Eocene. The range expansion of Fagus into Central Asia and Europe during the Oligocene was accompanied by a first differentiation into a continental Eurasian and northern Pacific lineage. In the Miocene, Fagus is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere up to very high latitudes (e.g., Iceland). By the end of the Miocene several lineages had been established, including putative ancestors of modern taxa (e.g. F. evenensis, the ancestor of subgenus Engleriana). Overall, the Miocene taxa are characterized by conspicuous morphological plasticity reflecting potentially unhindered gene flow. In post-Miocene times, Fagus underwent range reduction and extinction in high latitudes, Central Asia and western North America. The disruption of a former homogeneous area led to the shaping of modern species. The methodological approaches used here for Fagus take into account the particular nature of data sets palaeobotanists are usually confronted with.

Julia K. Koch, Ein Blumenstrauß aus Hochdorf. Zur Deutung der botanischen Makroreste aus dem Prunkgrab von Eberdingen-Hochdorf.

by Julia Katharina Koch

In: Susanne Grunwald/Julia K. Koch/Doreen Mölders/Ulrike Sommer/Sabine Wolfram (Hrsg.), ArteFakt. Festschrift für Sabine Rieckhoff zum 65. Geburtstag. Universitätsforschungen zur Prähistorische Archäologie 172 (Bonn 2009) 487–498.

A Late Messinian Palynoflora with a Distinct Taphonomy

by Fridgeir Grimsson

2011
Thomas Denk, Fridgeir Grimsson, Reinhard Zetter, Leifur A Simonarson
Springer
Chapter 9

A Lakeland Area in the Late Miocene

by Fridgeir Grimsson

2011
Thomas Denk, Fridgeir Grimsson, Reinhard Zetter, Leifur A Simonarson
Springer
Chapter 8

The Middle Late Miocene Floras - A Window into the Regional Vegetation Surrounding a Large Caldera

by Fridgeir Grimsson

2011
Thomas Denk, Fridgeir Grimsson, Reinhard Zetter, Leifur A Simonarson
Springer
Chapter 7

The Early Late Miocene Floras–First Evidence of Cool Temperate and Herbaceous Taxa

by Fridgeir Grimsson

2011
Thomas Denk, Fridgeir Grimsson, Reinhard Zetter, Leifur A Simonarson
Springer
Chapter 6