Cenozoic evolution of the steppe-desert biome in Central Asia

Barbolini, Natasha; Woutersen, Amber; Dupont‐Nivet, Guillaume; Silvestro, Daniele; Tardif, Delphine; Coster, Pauline; Meijer, Niels; Chang, Cun; Zhang, H.-X.; Licht, Alexis; Rydin, Catarina; Koutsodendris, Andreas; Han, Fengbin; Rohrmann, Alexander; Liu, X.-J.; Zhang, Y.; Donnadieu, Yannick; Fluteau, Frédéric; Ladant, Jean-Baptiste; Hir, Guillaume Le; Hoorn, Carina

doi:10.1126/sciadv.abb8227

Cited by 93 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 146 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This shift is again coeval with the onset of obliquity cycles (Bosboom et al, 2014) as well as the appearance of the loess-like end-member observed in our grain-size analyses ( Figure 6). The late Eocene record is characterized by the appearance of conifers at ∼37 Ma, as recognized in previous studies, and linked to cooling and aridification (Abels et al, 2011;Barbolini et al, 2020;Dupont-Nivet, Hoorn, & Konert, 2008;Page et al, 2019).…”

Section: Palynologysupporting

confidence: 66%

“…Composite of the early late Eocene record of the Xining Basin based on magnetostratigraphic correlations between the studied sections. The composite shows the lithostratigraphy, cyclostratigraphy and end-member abundances of the grain-size record and Plant Functional Type abundances of the palynological record with new samples from this study and Barbolini et al (2020) indicated in red. The magnetostratigraphy is correlated to the GTS16 (Ogg et al, 2016).…”

Section: Cyclostratigraphymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Loess‐Like Dust Appearance at 40 Ma in Central China

Meijer

Dupont‐Nivet

Barbolini

et al. 2021

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During wintertime, the Asian continent is characterized by a high atmospheric pressure system developing over southern Siberia and Mongolia. This semi-permanent high-pressure system known as the Siberian High drives strong northwesterly winds of the modern-day East Asian winter monsoon bringing cold and dry air from the Asian interior (Chang et al., 2006). During springtime, the Siberian High creates a strong meridional temperature contrast between cold air in the north and warmer air in the lower mid-latitudes that can result in frequent dust storms (Roe, 2009). These storms transport silt-sized material (with median grain-sizes of 20-60 µm) from the arid upwind areas to the Chinese Loess Plateau located downwind (J. Sun, 2002). This Plateau provides a unique record for studying the history of Asian aridification and atmospheric circulation (Maher, 2016). Furthermore, the transported mineral dust plays an important role in cooling the atmosphere by scattering solar radiation, promoting cloud formation and providing nutrients to the Pacific Ocean (

show abstract

Section: Palynologysupporting

confidence: 66%

Section: Cyclostratigraphymentioning

confidence: 99%

Loess‐Like Dust Appearance at 40 Ma in Central China

Meijer

Dupont‐Nivet

Barbolini

et al. 2021

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the northern hemisphere, Eurasia was dominated by subtropical evergreen and mixed mesophytic forests with many thermophilic elements, while most conifers were generally restricted to sites at elevation (Akgün et al, 2007;Ivanov et al, 2011;Kovar-Eder et al, 2008;Utescher et al, 2011;Yao et al, 2011), while Turkey was dominated by laurel forest and subordinate broadleaf deciduous forest biomes (Denk et al, 2019). In contrast, an arid belt stretched across Central Asia (Caves et al, 2016;Sun & Wang, 2005) that impeded vegetation growth in desert intermontane basins, with semiarid woodlands on slopes and in river valleys, and conifer forests at higher elevations (Barbolini et al, 2020). Evidence from fossil phytoliths and time-calibrated molecular phylogenies suggest that open-habitat grasses (including C3 pooids, PACMAD grasses, and C4 chloridoids) radiated taxonomically well before the Miocene (Christin et al, 2014;Strömberg, 2011).…”

Section: Early Miocene (Aquitanian and Burdigalian) Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All rights reserved. mixed coniferous broadleaved forests, mesophytic forests, and herbaceous floras in lakeside/riverine associations, as well as steppes and C3/C4-dominated grasslands (Denk et al, 2018;Strömberg, 2011;Barbolini et al, 2020) (Fig. 4).…”

Section: Accepted Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

The Miocene: The Future of the Past

Steinthorsdottir

Coxall

Boer

et al. 2021

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

Self Cite

240

179

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Miocene epoch (23.03-5.33 Ma) was a time interval of global warmth, relative to today.Continental configurations and mountain topography transitioned toward modern conditions, and many flora and fauna evolved into the same taxa that exist today. Miocene climate was dynamic: long periods of early and late glaciation bracketed a ∼2 Myr greenhouse interval-the Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO). Floras, faunas, ice sheets, precipitation, pCO 2 , and ocean and atmospheric circulation mostly (but not ubiquitously) covaried with these large changes in climate. With higher temperatures and moderately higher pCO 2 (∼400-600 ppm), the MCO has been suggested as a particularly appropriate analog for future climate scenarios, and for assessing the predictive accuracy of numerical climate models-the same models that are used to simulate future climate. Yet, Miocene conditions have proved difficult to reconcile with models. This implies either missing positive feedbacks in the models, a lack of knowledge of past climate forcings, or the need for re-interpretation of proxies, which might mitigate the model-data discrepancy. Our understanding of Miocene climatic, biogeochemical, and oceanic changes on broad spatial and temporal scales is still developing. New records documenting the physical, chemical, and biotic aspects of the Earth system are emerging, and together provide a more comprehensive understanding of this important time interval. Here, we review the state-of-the-art in Miocene climate, ocean circulation, biogeochemical cycling, ice sheet dynamics, and biotic adaptation research as inferred through proxy observations and modeling studies. Plain Language Summary During the Miocene time period (∼23-5 million years ago),Planet Earth looked similar to today, with some important differences: the climate was generally warmer and highly variable, while atmospheric CO 2 was not much higher. Continental-sized ice sheets were only present on Antarctica, but not in the northern hemisphere. The continents drifted to near their modernday positions, and plants and animals evolved into the many (near) modern species. Scientists study the Miocene because present-day and projected future CO 2 levels are in the same range as those reconstructed for the Miocene. Therefore, if we can understand climate changes and their biotic responses from the Miocene past, we are able to better predict current and future global changes. By comparing Miocene climate reconstructions from fossil and chemical data to climate simulations produced by computer models, scientists are able to test their understanding of the Earth system under higher CO 2 and warmer conditions than those of today. This helps in constraining future warming scenarios for the coming STEINTHORSDOTTIR ET AL.

show abstract

“…These climatic changes likely restructured the habitats for species (e.g. the desert‐to‐steppe biome change in Central Asia; Barbolini et al., 2020) and thus, facilitated the dispersal events into the TP from surrounding regions (Ding et al., 2020; Pisano et al., 2015). Furthermore, we recorded a sharp increase in dispersal events from the late Miocene ( c .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geological and climatic histories likely shaped the origins of terrestrial vertebrates endemic to the Tibetan Plateau

Lin

Ding

et al. 2021

Global Ecol. Biogeogr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim The Tibetan Plateau (TP) hosts many endemic species, but questions regarding when and from where these species originated have not been comprehensively answered. Here, we provide a synthesis of the biogeographical history of terrestrial vertebrates endemic to the TP and investigate the potential drivers of their spatio‐temporal origins. Location Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions. Time period Cenozoic. Major taxa studied Terrestrial vertebrates. Methods We used dispersal–extinction–cladogenesis models based on time‐calibrated phylogenies to reconstruct the ancestral ranges of 174 endemic TP species and compiled the ancestral ranges and age estimates of their dispersal events. We generated a possibility map of source areas for endemic TP species by counting the incidence of non‐TP sister clades in 110 km × 110 km grid cells. We used generalized linear mixed models to assess the relative importance of historical processes and environmental factors in explaining the geographical variations in the source areas. We created subsets based on four vertebrate classes to test whether the dispersal events varied spatially and temporally among taxonomic groups. Results We found that the endemic species colonized the TP as early as 55 Ma, and that the main colonization phase started to increase around 15 Ma and peaked after 6 Ma. The major source areas of endemic TP species include the Hengduan Mountains, the Himalayas, and Central Asia. Elevation difference had the strongest effect on the source areas, followed by geographical distance. The spatio‐temporal origins of species endemic to the TP and the potential drivers showed significant differences among vertebrate classes. Main conclusions Our study supports the hypothesis that endemic TP species originated from various zoogeographical regions at different times and highlights the important roles of the TP uplift and past climatic changes for determining the spatio‐temporal origins of endemic TP species.

show abstract

Cenozoic evolution of the steppe-desert biome in Central Asia

Cited by 93 publications

References 146 publications

Loess‐Like Dust Appearance at 40 Ma in Central China

Loess‐Like Dust Appearance at 40 Ma in Central China

The Miocene: The Future of the Past

Geological and climatic histories likely shaped the origins of terrestrial vertebrates endemic to the Tibetan Plateau

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About