Paleobotany

We describe a new species of the fossil genus Laurinoxylon from the El Bosque Formation (Eocene), Chiapas, Mexico. The new species is characterized by: diffuse porous wood with indistinct growth rings; solitary vessels and in radial multiples of two to three vessels per radial multiple; simple perforation plates; alternate intervessel pits: septate and non-septate fibers; round vessel-ray parenchyma pits, horizontally and vertically elongated with reduced borders; axial parenchyma scanty paratracheal, vasicentric, apotracheal diffuse; heterogeneous rays, and oil cells associated to the ray parenchyma and among the fibers. This fossil genus has been described before from the Cretaceous to the Neogene, worldwide. This is the first formal record of Laurinoxylon and the first Eocene macrofossil report of Lauraceae from Mexico. This new species supports the hypothesis that the Lauraceae had a wide distribution during the past and that Mexico may be an important region for the diversification of the family as evidenced by its fossil record dating from the Late Cretaceous and by the high number of genera and species that currently grow in Mexico.

Premise of research. Extant Isoetes species, which all develop small pseudoherbaceous habits, are the only living remnants of the once diverse clade of rhizomorphic lycopsids, which included trees that grew to towering heights of 50 m. Although the rhizomorphic lycopsids evolved a range of diverse body plans in the Pa-leozoic, it is thought that the evolution of the small pseudoherbaceous habit, with small rooting systems similar to modern Isoetes species, was a late event in the clade's history, occurring in the Mesozoic. Here we describe small fossilized rooting systems from the early Permian Abo Formation of New Mexico, increasing our knowledge of the diversity of small Paleozoic rhizomorphic rooting systems. Methodology. Ten fossilized rooting systems are described from a slab collected from the early Permian Abo Formation of New Mexico. Pivotal results. Here we report 10 rooting systems interpreted as those of rhizomorphic lycopsids due to the presence on each of a large number of isotomously branched rootlets radiating from a central rhizomorph and two associated microphyll leaf impressions. Because of the fossils' tiny size (the largest rhizomorph is only 1.5 cm in diameter, and the largest rooting system, including rootlets, is only 6 cm in diameter), we interpret these fossils either as juvenile plants or as adult morphologies with a small rooting system. Given the paucity of mature rhizomorphic lycopsids in the Abo Formation and the limited fossil record of juvenile rhizomorphic lycopsids from any geological period, we predict that these are most likely to be adult plants with small rooting systems. Conclusions. The small size of the specimens described here increases our knowledge of the diversity of small rhizomorphic rooting systems in the Paleozoic before the radiation of the modern Isoetes growth habit during the Mesozoic.

Fossil floras have been recovered from a unique deposit of early Permian age in North-Central Texas. The site, Kola Switch, preserves three distinct floras in different lithofacies, in a succession from a single outcrop. The sedimentary environment appears to be a floodplain channel fill of primarily siltstones and claystones. The lowermost flora, preserved in a kaolinitic siltstone, indicates active water flow. It is dominated by plants typical of well-drained substrates, dominated by Sphenopteris germanica, and contains no wetland elements. The middle flora is from a finely laminated carbonaceous claystone and is dominated by marattialean tree ferns, with no elements from habitats typical of seasonal moisture availability. It contains no roots and appears to have formed as a floating peat mat. The upper flora is a mixed assemblage of wetland taxa and those typical of well-drained soil environments or a seasonal rainfall regime. Unlike the two lower floras, it has a relatively even distribution of dominance and is the most diverse of the three assemblages. Palynofloras also were recovered from each of these beds. The palynofloras, although varying between and even within the beds, indicate a common background species pool during the time interval sampled, suggesting that these distinct floras reflect local changes in microhabitat conditions under a constant climatic background. The palynoflora from each bed has characteristics in common with the macroflora of that bed, but also distinct differences. Together, the macroflora and microflora provide an unusually broad picture of this site through time. Kola Switch compares favorably with the recently described flora from the nearby Sanzenbacher Ranch site of approximately the same age and also with floras of Rotliegend age from Central Europe.

Taşlaşmış ormanlar yeryüzünde nadir olarak görülen ve geçmiş jeolojik dönemlerde ağaç kalıntılarının topluca taşlaştığı (fosilleştiği) alanlardır. Bir alanda taşlaşmış ormanlara rastlanılması o alanın milyonlarca yıllık geçmişine ışık tutmaktadır. Çünkü taşlaşmış ormanlar oluştuğu dönemin jeolojik, klimatik, botanik ve biyocoğrafya özellikleri hakkında önemli bilgiler vermektedir. Dünya’da farklı jeolojik dönemlerde oluşmuş taşlaşmış orman alanları vardır. Hatta bazı alanlarda farklı jeolojik dönemlerde oluşmuş taşlaşmış ormanlar ara katlı olarak da görülebilmektedir. Bunun en güzel örneği ABD’nin Oklahoma eyaletindedir. Yeryüzünün farklı jeolojik dönemlerinde oluşmuş taşlaşmış ormanların dağılışına bakıldığında; Permiyen’de günümüzden 290 milyon ile 240 milyon yıl öncesinde oluşan taşlaşmış ormanlara Brezilya, Çin, Amerika, Almanya ve Çekya’da; Trias’ta günümüzden 245 milyon yıl ile 210 milyon yıl önce oluşan taşlaşmış ormanlara Arizona, Brezilya ve Madagaskar’da; Jura’da günümüzden 210 milyon ile 145 milyon önce oluşan taşlaşmış ormanlara, Arjantin, Çin ve Avustralya’da; Kretase’da günümüzden 145 milyon ile 65 milyon yıl önce oluşan taşlaşmış ormanlara Amerika, Belçika ve Güney Afrika’da; Tersiyer’de günümüzden 65 milyon yıl önce oluşmuş taşlaşmış ormanlara Amerika, Yunanistan, Mısır, Hindistan, Çin, Japonya ve Türkiye’de rastlanılmaktadır.
Anadolu ve çevresinde yer alan taşlaşmış ormanlar Tersiyer’de oluşmuştur. Tersiyer’de oluşan taşlaşma (fosilleşme) alanlarından bazıları şunlardır; Manisa’nın Osmancalı köyü fosil ormanı, Bolu’nun Hoçaş köyünde Seben fosil ormanı, Ankara’nın Çamlıdere ilçesi Pelitçik köyünde fosil ormanı, Balıkesir-Kütahya arası fosil ormanı (Dursunbey köyünden Tunçbilek-Yeniköy ve Tavşanlı-Çukurköy’e kadar olan bölge), Trakya’nın bazı bölümlerinde, Yunanistan’ın Midilli adasında Lesvos fosil ormanı. Bu alanlar dışında araştırılmamış ya da araştırılıp yayınlanmamış birçok taşlaşmış orman alanı bulunmaktadır.
Araştırmanın amacı, dünyada nadir olarak görülen taşlaşma (fosilleşme) olayının Anadolu ve çevresinde hangi jeolojik dönemde ve hangi jeolojik ve jeomorfolojik koşullar altında oluştuğunu tespit etmek, bunlar arasında coğrafi ilişkileri açıklamak ve Anadolu ve çevresinde taşlaşmış orman alanlarının dağılışını ortaya koymaktır.
Araştırmada taşlaşmış orman alanlarını belirlemek amacıyla çeşitli yöntemler kullanılmıştır. Öncelikle Anadolu ve çevresinde taşlaşmış ormanlar ile ilgili geniş bir literatür çalışması yapılmış ve elde edilen sonuçlar derlenerek bunlar arasındaki coğrafi ilişkiler açıklanmıştır. Taşlaşmış orman alanlarının Anadolu ve çevresindeki dağılımı Harita Genel Komutanlığı’ndan alınan 1/1000000, 1/500000 ölçekli paftalar kullanılarak ARCGIS üzerinden haritalandırılarak yapılmıştır. Elde edilen veriler coğrafya biliminin dağılış, sebep-sonuç ve bağlantı ilkeleriyle bilimsel yöntemler kullanılarak değerlendirilmiş ve yorumlanmıştır.

El trabajo arqueológico está sujeto a las fragmentaciones propias del pensamiento moderno, por eso refl exionar sobre ellas es necesario para poder generar conocimientos amplios que puedan involucrar a los signifi cados comprometidos en las relaciones que las sociedades entablaron con las plantas. Sobre esto mucho nos han enseñado y enseñan las comunidades tradicionales que remiten sus conocimientos a una esfera de subjetividades no racionales en términos de una lógica moderna, en las cuales las simbolizaciones del entorno natural son constitutivas de sus modos de vida e indisolubles de las esferas de lo religioso, económico y político, entre otras. En este espacio refl exionaré sobre algunas de estas implicancias teó-ricas de la práctica arqueobotánica en relación a estudios realizados en la Puna catamar-queña. Palabras claves: arqueobotánica-Puna catamarqueña-Tebenquiche Chico Introducción La elección no es, pues, entre el saber particular, preciso, limitado y la idea general abstracta. Es entre el Due-lo y la búsqueda de un método que pueda articular lo que está separado y volver a unir lo que está desunido (Morin 1993: 28). Este trabajo es producto de una refl exión orientada a desmontar algunos de su-puestos teóricos que subyacen corriente-mente en la arqueología, particularmen-te en aquellas llamadas sub-disciplinas arqueológicas, tales como la arqueobo-tánica, paleoetnobotánica, paleobotá-nica. Con cada vez mayor fre-cuencia muchos profesionales se defi nen desde una especifi cidad técnico-científi ca en algún campo de conocimiento de la ar-queología, ello nos informa acerca de las visiones fragmentarias que asisten en la construcción del conocimiento científi co local, lo cual es coherente también con un sistema académico-científi co nacio-nal que estimula las formaciones cada vez más especializadas. En esta oportu-nidad quisiera refl exionar en torno a este tema desde el estudio de las relaciones entre las plantas y los seres humanos en el pasado-presente. Para ello desarrollo algunas de mis ideas respecto a los pro-blemas teórico-prácticos que acarrean estas abstracciones disciplinares funda-das desde los límites impuestos por ló-gicas de orden colonial. Un caso de es-tudio localizado en la Puna Atacameña Argentina sirve como encuadre ejempli-fi cador de algunos de estos argumentos en contra del disciplinamiento que opera en un pretendido campo de conocimien-to arqueológico técnico-neutral. ARQUEOLOGÍA SURAMERICANA / ARQUEOLOGÍA SUL-AMERICANA 2, 2, Mayo 2013

Based on the results of detailed palynological research of Eopleistocene and low Neopleistocene deposits in the borehole 3 located within the southern edge of the Dnieper-Donets depression (village Chudnovtsy in the Lubny district of Poltava region.), the detailed  paleobotanical characteristic of Eopleistocene and low Neopleistocene of the study region is obtained. According to palynological data the correlation comparisons are performed of the studied sediments with coeval rocks of the adjacent regions. Significantly expanded are representations about the composition of Eopleistocene and low Neopleistocene vegetation in the studied region, and its changes over time are traced.
Keywords: reference section, Eopleistocene, low Neopleistocene, spore-pollen analysis, biostratigraphy, Ukraine.

Resumo O sítio arqueológico Lapa Grande de Taquaraçu é um pequeno abrigo calcário localizado numa zona limítrofe com a microrregião de Lagoa Santa, MG, cuja temporalidade está entre 11.500 anos AP aos 1000 AP aproximadamente. A fim de se obter dados a respeito do uso dos vegetais pelos antigos habitantes deste sítio, foi analisada a massa dos vestígios botânicos evidenciados através do peneiramento durante as escavações. Além disso, o sedimento pertinente aos artefatos líticos foi estudado com o objetivo de identificar a presença de grãos de amido; como complemento, este mesmo sedimento foi analisado para a detecção de hemoglobina mediante o uso de fitas de uranálise. Foi constatado o uso principal de "coquinhos" como combustível em todas as ocupações do sítio. A presença de grãos de amido em quase todos os artefatos analisados líticos e de hemoglobina em alguns, pôs em evidencia o seu uso indistinto para processar diferentes tipos de vegetais amiláceos e animais.

The report focuses on the results of the study of plantt macrofossils from the buried soil Ladoga settlement. Samples are taken from the e[cavation Staraya Ladoga archaeological expedition on the southern outskirts of the settlement. A comparison of the taxonomic composition of cultivated and wild plants detected with the results of carpological studies of the gorodische Kamno is made.

The diversity of Fabaceae in Mexico has a long geological history, and it is particularly rich in sediments from the Oligocene and Miocene. In this work, we describe the first record of two woods resembling ?Cercidoidea and Dialonoidea subfamilies from the Eocene of Chiapas. Both fossil woods have medium to large vessels, abundant paratracheal axial parenchyma, simple perforation plates, short vessel elements, alternate intervessel pits and non-vestured, vessel-ray pits with distinct borders and similar to intervessel pits in size and shape, homocellular (slightly heterocellular) multiseriate rays, prismatic chambered crystals in axial parenchyma cells and in fibers. These characteristics support the inclusion of both woods in Fabaceae. The identification of this new fossil genus (Tzotziloxylon) within Leguminosae, as well as other that have been described earlier from other Eocene localities of Mexico (e.g., Inga, Chamaecrista, and Senna), supports the hypothesis that some genera of this family probably evolved in North America instead of arriving by dispersal from Asia or Africa during the Eocene time.

This paper presents the initial findings of an archaeopalynological study to reconstruct and trace the evolution of the vegetation landscape at the site of the Roman villa of Noheda (Cuenca, Spain). The analysis of the pollen diagram enables the reconstruction of the economic foundations of the rural environment during each phase of the site’s occupation. Changes in the crop types, planted area, and forest use were identified, as was an increase in the pressure exerted by animal husbandry.

During the Early Bronze Age olive tree cultivation begins to be practiced and it comes to create complex production systems and economic relations, whose management, closely related to the environment and the climate of the Southern Levant, was one of the achievements of Palestinian urbanism.

This paper reflects on some aspects of urban archaeology fifty years after its diffusion in
Europe, that highlighted the transformations between the end of the Roman city and the
development of the medieval one. New techniques and tools – particularly bioarchaeology,
demography, the study of the relations between cities and their dependant territories,
spatial analyses and interdisciplinary and diachronic approaches – open new research opportunities. They also offer new questions about how the history of the past cities could be useful in the contemporary transformation of the cities.
Keywords: urban archaeology, early medieval cities, dark earth, bioarchaeology