Article
Plant Sciences
Zixi Wang, Bainian Sun, Xieting Wu, Suxin Yin
Summary: This article describes a new species of Acacia found in the middle Miocene of Fujian Province, indicating its presence in the region during that time. The discovery confirms the rich legume flora in Fujian Province during the Miocene and provides new insights into the diversification of Acacia during the Neogene.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Xie-Ting Wu, Zi-Xi Wang, Jun -Wu Shu, Su-Xin Yin, Li-Mi Mao, Gong -Le Shi
Summary: This paper describes a new species of Trapa found in the Zhangpu biota, adding to the understanding of freshwater plant diversity in this ancient rainforest ecosystem. The fruit morphology confirms the close relationship between Trapa and Hemitrapa, and suggests the importance of the Trapoideae in the middle Miocene freshwater ecosystem of Zhangpu.
Article
Plant Sciences
Elzbieta Worobiec, Marek Widera, Grzegorz Worobiec, Barbara Kurdziel
Summary: The first mid-Polish lignite seam group formed during a warm temperate and humid climate with wetland and mesophytic vegetation. The palynoflora composition indicates a homogenous climate within the entire Polish Lowlands during formation of the group, with slight differences reflecting the succession of plant communities in different hydrological and trophic conditions.
Article
Paleontology
Kent S. Smith, Nicholas J. Czaplewski, Margery C. Coombs
Summary: This study reports on a land mammal assemblage from the early Barstovian land mammal age in the Monarch Mill Formation in Nevada, USA. The assemblage includes fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and over 25 families of mammals. Paleobotanical evidence suggests a forest and shrubland paleovegetation in the area, indicating an uplifted paleoaltitude of 2700-2800 m. The presence of specific taxa reinforces the early Barstovian age and extends the paleobiogeographic range in the region.
ACTA PALAEONTOLOGICA POLONICA
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Faez Robin-Champigneul, Julia Gravendyck, Huasheng Huang, Amber Woutersen, David Pocknall, Niels Meijer, G. Dupont-Nivet, Roy H. J. Erkens, C. Hoorn
Summary: The palynological fossil records from the early Eocene in the Xining Basin on the North-eastern Tibetan Plateau (NETP) provide valuable insights into the vegetation response to climate change. The study focuses on the fossil gymnosperm pollen composition during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO), revealing the occurrence of diverse phylloclade-type conifers with a larger biogeographical distribution than at present. The research suggests that the paleoclimatic conditions in the Xining Basin during the EECO were warmer and more humid, leading to the northward expansion and eventual extinction of southern-temperate podocarp forests.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Zixi Wang, Gongle Shi, Bainian Sun, Hui Jia, Chong Dong, Sunxin Yin, Xieting Wu
Summary: Neogene plant fossils from low latitudes of China are important for understanding plant diversity and paleoenvironment. A new species of well-preserved Cercis fruit fossils, named Cercis zhangpuensis, was discovered in Fujian, southeastern China. This finding indicates the presence of Cercis genus in China since the middle Miocene, with East Asia potentially being a major diversification center for Cercis in the Miocene.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mona Mandor, Olev Vinn, Magdy EL Hedeny, Ahmed El-sabbagh, Abdelaal Abdelaal, Mohamed Rashwan
Summary: This study is the first systematic investigation of fossil calcareous tube-dwelling polychaetes in Egypt. Nine polychaete taxa belonging to eight genera were identified from the lower and middle Miocene formations. The dominant tube-dwelling polychaete genera include Hydtvides, Filograna, Spirobranchus, Hyalopomatus, and Glomerula. The identified species have paleobiogeographical affinities with Miocene species in Italy, Austria, and Slovakia.
BULLETIN OF GEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zixi Wang, Xieting Wu, Bainian Sun, Suxin Yin, Cheng Quan, Gongle Shi
Summary: This study describes two species of Castanopsis trees based on fossil leaves found in the middle Miocene of Fujian Province, Southeast China. These fossil findings enrich the Neogene fossil record of Castanopsis in regions with high diversity of its extant species. The discovery confirms previous paleoclimate estimates of the Zhangpu flora.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hanzhang Song, Luliang Huang, Helanlin Xiang, Cheng Quan, Jianhua Jin
Summary: This study reports the discovery of Engelhardia fossil winged fruits with detailed anatomical structures from the Miocene Erzitang Formation of Guangxi, South China, suggesting that Engelhardia had reached its modern distribution during the Miocene. The unique anatomical and morphological features of the new fossils clearly distinguish them from other fossil genera and show unambiguously their attribution to the genus Engelhardia.
Article
Biology
Lu Li
Summary: This study presents the first record of the Eulipotyphlan family Plesiosoricidae in China, with the discovery of the new species Plesiosorex shanqini. Morphological analysis shows that P. shanqini shares characteristics with European and North American taxa, suggesting its evolutionary connection with these regions. The study supports the hypothesis that Plesiosorex originated in Eurasia and dispersed to North America in the early Miocene. Additionally, the genus is believed to have preferred a relatively arid shrub-steppe environment, adapting to habitats dominated by open grasslands with patches of bush or forests.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Maxime Pelletier
Summary: The early Pleistocene is crucial for understanding the evolutionary history of rabbits. By studying the morphometric diversity of the third lower premolar (p3) in early Pleistocene rabbit populations, researchers found that different approaches can complement each other and provide insights into intra- and inter-regional morphological variations. Size and shape variations in the p3 tooth reflect taxonomic and phylogenetic signals, as well as the impact of geographical position and local climatic conditions. These results can help in discussing the phylogeny of the genus Oryctolagus and in hypothesizing the ecological requirements and dispersal phases of taxa in western Europe.
Article
Ecology
Lucas Buffan, Lewis A. Jones, Mathew Domeier, Christopher R. Scotese, Sabin Zahirovic, Sara Varela
Summary: Global plate models (GPMs) are used to reconstruct the tectonic evolution of the Earth and have important implications for understanding paleobiology and paleoclimatology. In this study, we used different GPMs to reconstruct the paleogeographic distribution and quantify the uncertainty of reconstructions over the past 540 million years. Our findings highlight the influence of GPM choice on paleobiological and paleoclimatic reconstructions.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Mine Sezgul Kayseri-Ozer, Tahir Emre
Summary: This study provides insights into the age, paleoclimate, and paleovegetation changes in the coal-bearing sediments of the Buyuk Menderes Graben (BMG) from the early to late Miocene. Analysis of palynofloras reveals subtropical and warm temperate climates, with specific vegetation compositions indicating different depositional environments. The regional paleoclimatic conditions in western Anatolia shifted from warm subtropical to temperate during this period, likely influenced by tectonic events and uplift of the Menderes Massive.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nela Dolakova, Marianna Kovacova, Torsten Utescher
Summary: The study of pollen spectra in the northwestern part of the Central Paratethys domain during the regional stages Karpatian-Badenian provides insight into the evolution of landscape and climatic changes, as well as the impact on the biosphere. The research reveals evidence of the Miocene climatic optimum and transition, as well as changes in plant diversity and climate conditions during the studied periods.
GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Elzbieta Worobiec, Grzegorz Worobiec, Jacek R. Kasinski
Summary: This study presents palaeobotanical investigation results of the lignite deposit in Ruja, focusing on vegetation characteristics and climate change during the middle Miocene period. The findings reveal a wetland vegetation dominated by mesophytic forests with a warm and humid climate, transitioning to a warm temperate climate in later stages. The results correspond with current understanding of climate change in the middle Miocene in Europe.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert A. Spicer, Tao Su, Paul J. Valdes, Alexander Farnsworth, Fei-Xiang Wu, Gongle Shi, Teresa E. Spicer, Zhekun Zhou
Summary: The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau was not solely caused by the collision and northward movement of India, but rather a complex process involving the collision of several Gondwanan terranes with Asia during the Mesozoic. New synthetic views incorporating Earth system modeling, paleoaltimetry proxies, and fossil finds help reveal the true topographic evolution of Tibet.
NATIONAL SCIENCE REVIEW
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Robert A. Spicer, Tao Su, Paul J. Valdes, Alexander Farnsworth, Fei-Xiang Wu, Gongle Shi, Teresa E. Spicer, Zhekun Zhou
Summary: The Tibetan Plateau was not uplifted as a single unit but rather formed gradually through successive tectonic movements in the past. The complex geological history of the Tibetan region has played a crucial role in shaping the extraordinary biodiversity in Asia today.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kelly K. S. Matsunaga, Patrick S. Herendeen, Fabiany Herrera, Niiden Ichinnorov, Peter R. Crane, Gongle Shi
Summary: This study describes the first anatomically preserved occurrences of Schizolepidopsis found in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, revealing its relationship with extant Pinaceae. S. ediae is placed in the crown group Pinaceae, with other Schizolepidopsis species forming a grade along the Pinaceae stem.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Zixi Wang, Gongle Shi, Bainian Sun, Hui Jia, Chong Dong, Sunxin Yin, Xieting Wu
Summary: Neogene plant fossils from low latitudes of China are important for understanding plant diversity and paleoenvironment. A new species of well-preserved Cercis fruit fossils, named Cercis zhangpuensis, was discovered in Fujian, southeastern China. This finding indicates the presence of Cercis genus in China since the middle Miocene, with East Asia potentially being a major diversification center for Cercis in the Miocene.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bo Wang, Gongle Shi, Chunpeng Xu, Robert A. Spicer, Vincent Perrichot, Alexander R. Schmidt, Kathrin Feldberg, Jochen Heinrichs, Cedric Cheny, Hong Pang, Xingyue Liu, Taiping Gao, Zixi Wang, Adam Slipinski, Monica M. Solorzano-Kraemer, Sam W. Heads, M. Jared Thomas, Eva-Maria Sadowski, Jacek Szwedo, Dany Azar, Andre Nel, Ye Liu, Jun Chen, Qi Zhang, Qingqing Zhang, Cihang Luo, Tingting Yu, Daran Zheng, Haichun Zhang, Michael S. Engel
Summary: A study reported a rich middle Miocene rainforest biome preserved in amber, indicating that the rainforest during this period was more widespread than previously estimated and likely had a significant impact on the evolution of Asian biota.
Article
Plant Sciences
Fabiany Herrera, Gongle Shi, Maya A. Bickner, Niiden Ichinnorov, Andrew B. Leslie, Peter R. Crane, Patrick S. Herendeen
Summary: The seed cones of extant Pinaceae show two mechanisms of seed release, flexers and shedders. Lepidocasus mellonae, found in the Aptian-Albian of Mongolia, represents the earliest and most detailed evidence of a shedder seed cone.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Fabiany Herrera, Weston L. Testo, Ashley R. Field, Elizabeth G. Clark, Patrick S. Herendeen, Peter R. Crane, Gongle Shi
Summary: Lycopodiaceae are a lineage of vascular plants with a long fossil history, and the discovery of Early Cretaceous lycopsid fossils provides compelling evidence for the early presence of crown Lycopodiaceae and Lycopodioideae. The discovery in Asia indicates the existence of crown Lycopodiaceae in the Early Cretaceous, and the similarities in stem anatomy with extant species help in understanding the growth and vascular anatomy of crown-group lycopsids.
Article
Plant Sciences
Zixi Wang, Gongle Shi, Bainian Sun, Chong Dong, Suxin Yin, Xieting Wu
Summary: The middle Miocene Zhangpu biota from the Fotan Group of South China represents a highly diverse seasonal tropical rainforest ecosystem dominated by trees of Dipterocarpceae. The discovery of Lygodium cf. scandens is the first record of a fertile frond in China and one of the most complete known fossil Lygodium worldwide, contributing to knowledge of the understory of the Zhangpu middle Miocene rainforests.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geology
Ya Li, Yan-Da Li, Yong-Dong Wang, Harald Schneider, Gong-Le Shi
Summary: This study reports a unique case of lycophyte mimicry in lacewing larvae found in the mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber of Myanmar. The larvae closely resemble the dorsal-ventrally flattened strobili of a new species of Selaginella, indicating a case of mimicry between Phyllochrysa huangi and Selaginella subgenus Stachygynandrum. The re-examination of plant fossils also revealed the presence of several liverwort species, but the larval morphology did not show obvious similarities to liverwort shoots. This research provides important evidence for understanding extinct mimicry systems.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Chong Dong, Gongle Shi, Fabiany Herrera, Yongdong Wang, Zixi Wang, Bole Zhang, Xiaohui Xu, Patrick S. Herendeen, Peter R. Crane
Summary: The new species of Taxes, Taxis huolingolensis, discovered in the Early Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation in eastern Inner Mongolia, northeastern China, has linear leaves with a unique leaf morphology and stomatal arrangement, resembling extant Taxus but with some distinct features. The discovery adds to our understanding of Mesozoic Taxaceae and suggests a diverse Taxus presence since the Early Cretaceous.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Su-Xin Yin, Xie-Ting Wu, Zi-Xi Wang, Gong -Le Shi
Summary: The pili nut genus Canarium is an important element in tropical rainforests and seasonal rainforests. Fossil evidence confirms the occurrence of Canarium in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America during the Paleogene. The discovery of a new species of Canarium from the middle Miocene Zhangpu flora in China provides insights into the composition of tropical rainforests during that time period.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Gongle Shi, Fabiany Herrera, Patrick S. Herendeen, Elizabeth G. Clark, Peter R. Crane
Summary: A new genus and species of corystosperm seed-bearing structure, Jarudia zhoui gen. et sp. nov., is described based on abundant silicified material collected from the Early Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation in China. This finding expands our understanding of the extinct corystosperm plants and raises questions about their phylogenetic circumscription and relationships with other seed plants.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Xie-Ting Wu, Zi-Xi Wang, Jun -Wu Shu, Su-Xin Yin, Li-Mi Mao, Gong -Le Shi
Summary: This paper describes a new species of Trapa found in the Zhangpu biota, adding to the understanding of freshwater plant diversity in this ancient rainforest ecosystem. The fruit morphology confirms the close relationship between Trapa and Hemitrapa, and suggests the importance of the Trapoideae in the middle Miocene freshwater ecosystem of Zhangpu.
Article
Plant Sciences
Xie-Ting Wu, Jun-Wu Shu, Su-Xin Yin, Eva-Maria Sadowski, Gong-Le Shi
Summary: This paper describes the first fossil flower of the Parrotia genus from the middle Miocene in Southeast China. The fossil flower reveals that Parrotia grew in a Miocene seasonal tropical rainforest.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Chong Dong, Gong-Le Shi, Zi-Xi Wang, Di-Ying Huang
Summary: Well-preserved termite coprolites from the Early Cretaceous provide evidence of wood-feeding behavior and social division of labor.
Article
Plant Sciences
Gar W. Rothwell, Ruth A. Stockey
Summary: This study utilizes anatomical analysis of fossils from Vancouver Island, Canada, to support the development of a whole plant concept for the Eocene species of Gleichenia and provide data for the first organismal concept of an extinct species of Gleichenia from the Cenozoic fossil record. The findings suggest that the characteristics of the Gleicheniaceae family were present during the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods, with modern species well-established and diversifying.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kathrin Ganz, Cesar Morales-Molino, Erika Gobet, Dmytro Kiosak, Nadezhda Kotova, Jacqueline van Leeuwen, Sergey Makhortykh, Christoph Schworer, Willy Tinner
Summary: This study presents a palaeoecological reinvestigation from the Kardashynskyi mire in southern Ukraine, reconstructing the vegetation dynamics, fire history, and land use for the past 8300 years. The results show that both climate and human activities have driven the vegetation changes, and the remaining special vegetation types are severely threatened under current conditions.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Willem O. van der Knaap, Bas van Geel, Jacqueline F. N. van Leeuwen, Frans Roescher, Dick Mol
Summary: Pollen analysis of fossilized teeth from a giant deer found in The Netherlands provides insights into the diet, landscape, and climate of the specimen. The study suggests that the giant deer most likely lived during the early Eemian or an early Weichselian interstadial.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yun Guo, Yu Zhou, Josef Psenicka, Jiri Bek, Jana Votockova Frojdova, Zhuo Feng
Summary: A new species of adpressed leptosporangiate fern, Szea yunnanensis sp. nov., is described from Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The fronds of this new species have unique characteristics such as fertile pinnules with triangular to falcate shape and abaxial sori arranged in one row on each side of the midvein.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Adele C. M. Julier, Glynis J. Humphrey, Caitlin Dixon, Lindsey Gillson
Summary: The relationships between woody vegetation cover and fire, climate, herbivory, and human activities in African savanna ecosystems are complex. Fire suppression policies implemented in a national park in northeast Namibia from 1888 to 2005 did not lead to noticeable decreases in fire or enhanced tree recruitment, suggesting that fire occurrence in savanna ecosystems is more closely linked to climate than management. Fire management should adapt to rainfall variability and integrate customs of early dry season burning.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Milan Libertin, Jiri Kvacek, Jiri Bek
Summary: This paper revises the genus Aberlemnia from the Early Devonian of Scotland based on its type-material A. caledonica and describes a new species, Aberlemnia krizii sp. nov, from the Silurian of Czechia. The study provides detailed diagnoses and highlights the differences between the two species. Aberlemnia is positioned on an evolutionary clade line leading to the Lycophytina.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2024)
