TY - JOUR
T1 - Early eocene spore and pollen assemblages from the laguna del hunco fossil lake beds, patagonia, argentina
AU - Barreda, Viviana D.
AU - Zamaloa, María Del Carmen
AU - Gandolfo, María A.
AU - Jaramillo, Carlos
AU - Wilf, Peter
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by NSF grants DEB-0919071, NSFDEB-0918932, NSFDEB-0345750, NSFDEB-1556666, NSFDEB-1556136, NSFEAR-1925755, NSFEAR-1925552, and NSFEAR-1925481; CONICET grant PIP 2014-0259; and ANPCyT grant PICT 2017-0671. Jason Hicks and Kirk Johnson first recognized the pollen-bearing potential of the C12 bed and collected from it. We thank the editor, Patrick Herendeen, and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments and Sarah Ivory for discussion. For additional field and lab assistance, we thank Marcelo Krause, Elizabeth Hajek, Pablo Puerta, and many others. Palynological samples were processed by Sebastian Mirabelli and Orlando C?rdenas, and drawings were done by Amalia Gonz?lez. Thanks to Secretar?a de Cultura del Chubut for access permits.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/7/1
Y1 - 2020/7/1
N2 - Premise of research. The early Eocene Laguna del Hunco (LH) fossil site, northwestern Chubut Province, Argentina, holds one of the best-preserved and most diverse paleofloras worldwide. The paleoflora comprises ferns, gymnosperms, and flowering plants. Despite the rapidly growing knowledge of its macrofossil record, little is known about the site’s palynological content. Herein, we present the first dispersed spore-pollen assemblages recovered from LH. Methodology. Palynological samples were collected from seven stratigraphic levels of the Tufolitas de LH (Huitrera Formation), of which six yielded palynomorphs. We determine the botanical affinities of fossil morphotypes and provide systematic descriptions of some taxa. In addition, we establish similarities between LH and other Patagonian Eocene localities, and we compare palynological and prior megafloral records from LH. Pivotal results. We identify 56 spore and pollen species and 28 plant families, of which eight (Cyatheaceae, Schizaeaceae, Polypodiaceae, Asteraceae, Chloranthaceae, Nothofagaceae, Rubiaceae, and Ulmaceae) are reliably reported from the site for the first time. Among other Eocene Patagonian palynofloras, the LH assemblage is similar to Pampa de Jones/Nahuel Huapi Este and Confluencia. Conclusions. The LH spore-pollen assemblages augment the plant fossil record for this significant Eocene locality by incorporating new taxa (e.g., Asteraceae, with one morphotype that represents the oldest record of the family in Patagonia). The new data also reinforce the presence of plant families previously reported from macrofossils, such as Juglandaceae, with pollen grains similar to those of the Engelhardia-Alfaroa group, and Fagaceae (Castaneoideae), complementing the macrofossil record of leaves and reproductive structures.
AB - Premise of research. The early Eocene Laguna del Hunco (LH) fossil site, northwestern Chubut Province, Argentina, holds one of the best-preserved and most diverse paleofloras worldwide. The paleoflora comprises ferns, gymnosperms, and flowering plants. Despite the rapidly growing knowledge of its macrofossil record, little is known about the site’s palynological content. Herein, we present the first dispersed spore-pollen assemblages recovered from LH. Methodology. Palynological samples were collected from seven stratigraphic levels of the Tufolitas de LH (Huitrera Formation), of which six yielded palynomorphs. We determine the botanical affinities of fossil morphotypes and provide systematic descriptions of some taxa. In addition, we establish similarities between LH and other Patagonian Eocene localities, and we compare palynological and prior megafloral records from LH. Pivotal results. We identify 56 spore and pollen species and 28 plant families, of which eight (Cyatheaceae, Schizaeaceae, Polypodiaceae, Asteraceae, Chloranthaceae, Nothofagaceae, Rubiaceae, and Ulmaceae) are reliably reported from the site for the first time. Among other Eocene Patagonian palynofloras, the LH assemblage is similar to Pampa de Jones/Nahuel Huapi Este and Confluencia. Conclusions. The LH spore-pollen assemblages augment the plant fossil record for this significant Eocene locality by incorporating new taxa (e.g., Asteraceae, with one morphotype that represents the oldest record of the family in Patagonia). The new data also reinforce the presence of plant families previously reported from macrofossils, such as Juglandaceae, with pollen grains similar to those of the Engelhardia-Alfaroa group, and Fagaceae (Castaneoideae), complementing the macrofossil record of leaves and reproductive structures.
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U2 - 10.1086/708386
DO - 10.1086/708386
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85084295356
VL - 181
SP - 594
EP - 615
JO - International Journal of Plant Sciences
JF - International Journal of Plant Sciences
SN - 1058-5893
IS - 6
ER -