The history of Cunoniaceae in Australia from macrofossil evidence

2001 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard W. Barnes ◽  
Robert S. Hill ◽  
Jason C. Bradford
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Widespread Distribution ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
Vegetation Disturbance ◽  
Late Paleocene ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dispersal Events ◽  
Early Cenozoic

The macrofossil record of the plant family Cunoniaceae in Australia is summarised and reviewed where necessary by using detailed studies of the morphology of extant genera. Eleven of the 26 Cunoniaceae genera are represented in the Australian macrofossil record and include leaves and leaf fragments, foliar cuticle and reproductive structures, and range from Late Paleocene to Quaternary in age. Macrofossils show that some genera had a different or more widespread distribution in Australia during the Cenozoic, with two genera (Weinmannia and Codia) having become extinct from the continent. Changes in climate, including increasing cold, frost, dryness, seasonality, or some combination of these, or a reduction in vegetation disturbance regimes (e.g. volcanism, uplifting, landslips), may be implicated in the regional or continental extinctions demonstrated by the macrofossil record. Many extant genera (Schizomeria, Vesselowskya, Callicoma, Ceratopetalum, Acsmithia, Codia) had evolved by the Early Oligocene or earlier (Eucryphia, Late Paleocene; Ceratopetalum, Middle Eocene), perhaps with generic diversification more or less complete by the end of the Early Cenozoic or earlier. A Cretaceous origin of the family is possible, and may account for its widespread distribution on Southern Hemisphere landmasses, although long-distance dispersal events are required to explain some modern geographic disjunctions.

scholarly journals Preface to 'Evolution, Extinction and Biogeography in Gondwana'

2001 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. I
Author(s):  
Robert S. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Plant Family ◽  
Widespread Distribution ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
Vegetation Disturbance ◽  
Late Paleocene ◽  
The Family ◽  
Dispersal Events ◽  
Early Cenozoic

The macrofossil record of the plant family Cunoniaceae in Australia is summarised and reviewed where necessary by using detailed studies of the morphology of extant genera. Eleven of the 26 Cunoniaceae genera are represented in the Australian macrofossil record and include leaves and leaf fragments, foliar cuticle and reproductive structures, and range from Late Paleocene to Quaternary in age. Macrofossils show that some genera had a different or more widespread distribution in Australia during the Cenozoic, with two genera (Weinmannia and Codia) having become extinct from the continent. Changes in climate, including increasing cold, frost, dryness, seasonality, or some combination of these, or a reduction in vegetation disturbance regimes (e.g. volcanism, uplifting, landslips), may be implicated in the regional or continental extinctions demonstrated by the macrofossil record. Many extant genera (Schizomeria, Vesselowskya, Callicoma, Ceratopetalum, Acsmithia, Codia) had evolved by the Early Oligocene or earlier (Eucryphia, Late Paleocene; Ceratopetalum, Middle Eocene), perhaps with generic diversification more or less complete by the end of the Early Cenozoic or earlier. A Cretaceous origin of the family is possible, and may account for its widespread distribution on Southern Hemisphere landmasses, although long-distance dispersal events are required to explain some modern geographic disjunctions.

Taxonomy, phylogeny, and paleoecology of Eoseira wilsonii gen. et sp. nov., a Middle Eocene diatom (Bacillariophyceae: Aulacoseiraceae) from lake sediments at Horsefly, British Columbia, Canada

2005 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander P Wolfe ◽  
Mark B Edlund
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Life Strategy ◽  
Centric Diatom ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectory ◽  
The Family ◽  
Freshwater Diatoms ◽  
Marine Realm ◽  
Diatom Genus ◽  
Early Cenozoic

A new centric diatom genus is described from laminated freshwater sediments of Middle Eocene age near Horsefly, British Columbia, Canada. This diatom, Eoseira wilsonii gen. et sp. nov., grew in filaments that constitute dense monospecific sub-horizons within the white couplets that represent summer deposition in the varved sequence. Although Eoseira clearly belongs within the Family Aulacoseiraceae, several features distinguish its valve structure from Aulacoseira. Gigantism of spines and the lack of geometric relationships between spine position and mantle areolae are the most conspicuous features of the genus. Eoseira is among the oldest freshwater diatoms known and one of relatively few extinct freshwater genera. In addition to serving as a potential biostratigraphic marker, Eoseira is a cornerstone to undertanding the evolutionary trajectory of the Aulacoseiraceae, likely the oldest family of freshwater diatoms. As such, it refines our understanding of early radiations from the marine realm in western North America. Furthermore, paleoecological inferences based on Eoseira life strategy pertain directly to limnological conditions during early Cenozoic hot-house conditions.

scholarly journals A fully resolved backbone phylogeny reveals numerous dispersals and explosive diversifications throughout the history of Asteraceae

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (28) ◽  
pp. 14083-14088 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R. Mandel ◽  
Rebecca B. Dikow ◽  
Carolina M. Siniscalchi ◽  
Ramhari Thapa ◽  
Linda E. Watson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Range Shift ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
Flowering Plant Species ◽  
Patterns And Processes

The sunflower family, Asteraceae, comprises 10% of all flowering plant species and displays an incredible diversity of form. Asteraceae are clearly monophyletic, yet resolving phylogenetic relationships within the family has proven difficult, hindering our ability to understand its origin and diversification. Recent molecular clock dating has suggested a Cretaceous origin, but the lack of deep sampling of many genes and representative taxa from across the family has impeded the resolution of migration routes and diversifications that led to its global distribution and tremendous diversity. Here we use genomic data from 256 terminals to estimate evolutionary relationships, timing of diversification(s), and biogeographic patterns. Our study places the origin of Asteraceae at ∼83 MYA in the late Cretaceous and reveals that the family underwent a series of explosive radiations during the Eocene which were accompanied by accelerations in diversification rates. The lineages that gave rise to nearly 95% of extant species originated and began diversifying during the middle Eocene, coincident with the ensuing marked cooling during this period. Phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses support a South American origin of the family with subsequent dispersals into North America and then to Asia and Africa, later followed by multiple worldwide dispersals in many directions. The rapid mid-Eocene diversification is aligned with the biogeographic range shift to Africa where many of the modern-day tribes appear to have originated. Our robust phylogeny provides a framework for future studies aimed at understanding the role of the macroevolutionary patterns and processes that generated the enormous species diversity of Asteraceae.

Palynological characteristic of the border cretaceous and paleogene deposits in the Sourth of Trans-Ural region (bh 9, Troizk)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga B. Kuzmina ◽  
◽  
Natalia K. Lebedeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Western Siberia ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Ural Region ◽  
The South ◽  
Spores And Pollen ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
Late Paleocene

The Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene sediments exposed in Borehole 9 (Troizk, Chelyabinsk Area) in the south of the Trans-Ural Region (Western Siberia) are studied by palynological methods. The BH9 has uncovered the Fadyushinskaya and Gan’kino formations of Upper Cretacious age and the Talitsa, Serov, Irbit, Chegan and Kurtamysh formations of Paleogene age. Nine dinocysts assemblages and nine spores and pollen assemblages were revealed. The Campanian, Maastrichtian, Late Paleocene, Low-Middle Eocene and Early Oligocene age of the sediments were substantiated.

Bernieridae (Aves: Passeriformes): a family-group name for the Malagasy sylvioid radiation

Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2554 (1) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALICE CIBOIS ◽  
NORMAND DAVID ◽  
STEVEN M. S. GREGORY ◽  
ERIC PASQUET
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Family Group ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code ◽  
Large Size ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
Adaptive Radiations ◽  
Dispersal Events

The island of Madagascar is a renowned hotspot for adaptive radiations. Madagascar has been separated from mainland Africa since the end of the Jurassic, and from India since the Late Cretaceous. This long isolation, combined with the island’s large size and relatively few dispersal events has resulted in an avifauna characterized by a low species count and high endemism: for instance, 80% of the breeding Malagasy songbirds (Passeriformes) are endemic (Hawkins & Goodman 2003). A first series of papers (Cibois et al. 1999, 2001; Fjeldsa et al. 1999) on the phylogeny of the Malagasy taxa traditionally classified as Timaliidae, Sylviidae and Pycnonotidae (all families included in the large sylvioid clade) showed that several of these passerines form an original radiation endemic to the island. Because these results were based solely on a single kind of molecular marker (mitochondrial DNA sequences), the authors refrained at that time from giving a name to this clade. More recently, other studies using nuclear markers as well (Beresford et al. 2005; Johansson et al. 2008a, 2008b) confirm the existence of this Malagasy sylvioid radiation. The species that comprise this group exhibit a great variety of bill shapes, wing and tail proportions, and tarsus lengths. This diversity in morphology is linked to varieties of habitat and prey favoured by these insectivorous forest dwellers (Schulenberg 2003). Thus the endemic Malagasy sylvioid clade rivals other island radiations, including the vangas of Madagascar and the finches of the Galapagos, in ecological and morphological diversity. Several authors were inclined to consider this group at the family level, using the name ‘Bernieridae’. To our knowledge the first study using this name was the book “The natural history of Madagascar”, edited by S. M. Goodman and J. Benstead in 2003, where the name ‘Bernieridae’ appeared in two chapters (in Tingle et al. (2003: p. 522) and Hawkins & Goodman (2003: p. 1036), although Schulenberg (2003: p. 1131) referred to the Malagasy "warblers" in his chapter on the radiations of passerine birds on Madagascar). An alternative spelling for the family-group name, ‘Bernieriidae’, can be found in several personal pages on the internet, but we have not found an occurrence of this in any publication, as defined in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (4th edition, 1999). The name ‘Bernieridae’ was later used in several journal articles (Chouteau & Fenosoa 2008; Fuchs et al. 2008; Johansson et al. 2008a, 2008b), however, none of these have introduced the family-group name ‘Bernieridae’ according to the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, i.e. the nominal taxon was not explicitly indicated as intentionally new (Article 16.1) and the type genus was not cited (Article 16.2). In the present paper, we therefore propose to rectify this situation by correctly introducing the family-group name for the Malagasy sylvioid radiation.

The history of the family Onagraceae in Australia and its relevance to biogeography

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene A. Martin
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
North America ◽  
South America ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
Minor Part ◽  
Northern South America ◽  
Australian Flora

The family Onagraceae is a relatively minor part of the Australian flora but it has a long history in Australia: a probable Ludwigia dates from the Eocene; Fuchsia, not native to Australia today, is present from early Oligocene times; and Epilobium is found only in the Pleistocene. Onagraceae first appears in the Late Cretaceous in northern South America and southern North America, where it is thought to have originated, and Ludwigia dates from the Palaeocene. It is thought that Ludwigia migrated into Australia via a northern route. Fuchsia in Australia predates its first appearance in New Zealand, suggesting that New Zealand Fuchsia may have been derived from the Australian Fuchsia.

scholarly journals Gourds afloat: a dated phylogeny reveals an Asian origin of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) and numerous oversea dispersal events

2008 ◽  
Vol 276 (1658) ◽  
pp. 843-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanno Schaefer ◽  
Christoph Heibl ◽  
Susanne S Renner
Keyword(s):  
South American ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Asian Origin ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dated Phylogeny ◽  
Herbarium Collections ◽  
Plant Phylogenetics ◽  
Dispersal Events

Knowing the geographical origin of economically important plants is important for genetic improvement and conservation, but has been slowed by uneven geographical sampling where relatives occur in remote areas of difficult access. Less biased species sampling can be achieved when herbarium collections are included as DNA sources. Here, we address the history of Cucurbitaceae, one of the most economically important families of plants, using a multigene phylogeny for 114 of the 115 genera and 25 per cent of the 960 species. Worldwide sampling was achieved by using specimens from 30 herbaria. Results reveal an Asian origin of Cucurbitaceae in the Late Cretaceous, followed by the repeated spread of lineages into the African, American and Australian continents via transoceanic long-distance dispersal (LDD). North American cucurbits stem from at least seven range expansions of Central and South American lineages; Madagascar was colonized 13 times, always from Africa; Australia was reached 12 times, apparently always from Southeast Asia. Overall, Cucurbitaceae underwent at least 43 successful LDD events over the past 60 Myr, which would translate into an average of seven LDDs every 10 Myr. These and similar findings from other angiosperms stress the need for an increased tapping of museum collections to achieve extensive geographical sampling in plant phylogenetics.

Palaeogene and Neogene brachyurans of the Amazon basin: a revised first appearance date for primary freshwater crabs (Brachyura, Trichodactylidae)

Crustaceana ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 90 (7-10) ◽  
pp. 953-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Klaus ◽  
Célio Magalhães ◽  
Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi ◽  
Martin Gross ◽  
Pierre-Olivier Antoine
Keyword(s):  
Late Miocene ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Freshwater Crabs ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
The Family ◽  
Continuous Presence ◽  
Early Late ◽  
Amazonian Lowlands

We describe claw fragments of fossil primary freshwater crabs from three areas in the Amazon basin, Tarapoto (Early Oligocene) and Contamana (Middle Eocene to early Late Miocene) in Peru, and Eirunepé (Late Miocene) in Brazil. All these fragments most likely belong to the family Trichodactylidae. We show a continuous presence of primary freshwater crabs in proto-Amazonian lowlands from the Middle Eocene to the Late Miocene and can thus shift the earliest appearance date of freshwater-adapted brachyurans into the Eocene, at least in the Neotropics.

scholarly journals Middle to Late Paleocene Leguminosae fruits and leaves from Colombia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiany Herrera ◽  
Mónica R. Carvalho ◽  
Scott L. Wing ◽  
Carlos Jaramillo ◽  
Patrick S. Herendeen
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Late Paleocene ◽  
Plant Groups ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
Northern South America

Leguminosae are one of the most diverse flowering-plant groups today, but the evolutionary history of the family remains obscure because of the scarce early fossil record, particularly from lowland tropics. Here, we report ~500 compression or impression specimens with distinctive legume features collected from the Cerrejón and Bogotá Formations, Middle to Late Paleocene of Colombia. The specimens were segregated into eight fruit and six leaf morphotypes. Two bipinnate leaf morphotypes are confidently placed in the Caesalpinioideae and are the earliest record of this subfamily. Two of the fruit morphotypes are placed in the Detarioideae and Dialioideae. All other fruit and leaf morphotypes show similarities with more than one subfamily or their affinities remain uncertain. The abundant fossil fruits and leaves described here show that Leguminosae was the most important component of the earliest rainforests in northern South America c. 60–58 million years ago.

scholarly journals Paleogene calcareous nannoplankton evolution: the fertility link

1992 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 12-12
Author(s):  
Marie-Pierre Aubry
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Vertical Stratification ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Photic Zone ◽  
Calcareous Nannoplankton ◽  
Calcareous Nannofossil ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
Late Paleocene

Calcareous nannoplankton diversity varied greatly during the Paleogene. From extremely reduced values (~10 species) in the early Paleocene (circa 66.4 to 66 Ma, age estimates from Berggren, Kent and Flynn, 1985) following the terminal Cretaceous extinctions, diversity increased progressively throughout the late Paleocene and early Eocene and reached a maximum (~120 species) in the early middle Eocene (circa 52–48 Ma). This was followed by a step-like decrease until the early Oligocene (circa 35 Ma) when minimal values (~37 species) were reached once again. After a stable low during the remainder of the early Oligocene, a moderate, increase occurred near the early/late Oligocene boundary (circa 30 Ma).Temperature has been regarded as the most important factor controlling the distribution of the calcareous nannoplankton following the characterisation of five temperature-controlled assemblages of living Coccolithophoridae in the Atlantic Ocean. Studies relative to variations in diversity in the calcareous nannoplankton throughout the Mesozoic and Cenozoic and among the extinct late Paleocene to Pliocene group Discoaster, and to changing biogeographic patterns during the Cenozoic have revealed an apparent relationship between composition of calcareous nannofossil assemblages and temperature as deduced from isotopic studies. This relationship, which is currently used to infer Paleogene climatic and oceanographic evolution from quantitative analyses of calcareous nannofossil assemblages, is however not a simple one as indicated by the fact that maximum diversity during the Paleogene (i.e., the early middle Eocene) did not occur during (but subsequently to) the warmest time (i.e., the latest Paleocene-earliest Eocene).Diversity changes in the Paleogene calcareous nannoplankton are strikingly similar to diversity changes in the Paleogene planktonic foraminifera, which have been shown to reflect fluctuations in nutrient availibility as indicated by oxygen and carbon isotopes. The parallel evolution in the two groups thus suggests that trophic levels in the photic zone played an important role in the Paleogene diversification of the calcareous nannoplankton. In the present day ocean, the calcareous nannoplankton (Coccolithophoridae) dominate the phytoplankton under oligotrophic conditions and tropical waters are characterized by highly diversified associations with strong vertical specific stratification. Only few species occur under meso- and eutrophic conditions, and there is no vertical stratification. Extremely low diversity during the earliest Paleocene followed by increasing diversity through the Paleocene and earliest Eocene is interpreted as reflecting the change from an essentially mesotrophic to an oligotrophic ocean, increased rates of speciation resulting from niche partitioning occasioned by increased oligotrophy, leading to strong vertical stratification of species in the photic zone. Decrease in diversity from middle Eocene to early Oligocene reflects, on the other hand, progressive eutrophication of the ocean as a result of climatic deterioration.

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