Combined LM and SEM study of the Middle Miocene (Sarmatian) palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin, Austria: Part I. Bryophyta, Lycopodiophyta, Pteridophyta, Ginkgophyta, and Gnetophyta
“…Nevertheless, taxonomic control is typically poorer in LM than in SEM studies. As far as known, SEM studies of the same dispersed pollen flora reveal usually higher biodiversity and taxonomic resolution than LM studies (Grímsson & Zetter 2011; Grímsson et al 2011, 2015a, 2016; Bouchal et al 2016). Thus, it could be expected that a comprehensive SEM study of the dispersed pollen at Messel and Eckfeld would provide a large number of distinct taxa (genera, groups of genera).Figure 17.…”
The middle Eocene Messel and Eckfeld localities are renowned for their excellently preserved faunas and diverse floras. Here we describe for the first time pollen from insect-pollinated plants found in situ on well-preserved ancient bees using light and scanning electron microscopy. There have been 140 pollen types reported from Messel and 162 pollen types from Eckfeld. Here we document 23 pollen types, six from Messel and 18 from Eckfeld (one is shared). The taxa reported here are all pollinated by insects and mostly not recovered in the previously studied dispersed fossil pollen records. Typically, a single or two pollen types are found on each fossil bee specimen, the maximum number of distinct pollen types on a single individual is five. Only five of the 23 pollen types obtained are angiosperms of unknown affinity, the remainder cover a broad taxonomic range of angiosperm trees and include members of several major clades: monocots (1 pollen type), fabids (7), malvids (4), asterids (5) and other core eudicots (1). Seven types each can be assigned to individual genera or infrafamilial clades. Since bees visit only flowers in the relative vicinity of their habitat, the recovered pollen provides a unique insight into the autochthonous palaeo-flora. The coexistence of taxa such as Decodon, Elaeocarpus, Mortoniodendron and other Tilioideae, Mastixoideae, Olax, Pouteria and Nyssa confirms current views that diverse, thermophilic forests thrived at the Messel and Eckfeld localities, probably under a warm subtropical, fully humid climate. Our study calls for increased attention to pollen found in situ on pollen-harvesting insects such as bees, which can provide new insights on insect-pollinated plants and complement even detailed palaeo-palynological knowledge obtained mostly from pollen of wind-pollinated plants in the dispersed pollen record of sediments. In the case of Elaeocarpus, Mortoniodendron, Olax and Pouteria the pollen collected by the middle Eocene bees represent the earliest unambiguous records of their respective genera.
“…Nevertheless, taxonomic control is typically poorer in LM than in SEM studies. As far as known, SEM studies of the same dispersed pollen flora reveal usually higher biodiversity and taxonomic resolution than LM studies (Grímsson & Zetter 2011; Grímsson et al 2011, 2015a, 2016; Bouchal et al 2016). Thus, it could be expected that a comprehensive SEM study of the dispersed pollen at Messel and Eckfeld would provide a large number of distinct taxa (genera, groups of genera).Figure 17.…”
The middle Eocene Messel and Eckfeld localities are renowned for their excellently preserved faunas and diverse floras. Here we describe for the first time pollen from insect-pollinated plants found in situ on well-preserved ancient bees using light and scanning electron microscopy. There have been 140 pollen types reported from Messel and 162 pollen types from Eckfeld. Here we document 23 pollen types, six from Messel and 18 from Eckfeld (one is shared). The taxa reported here are all pollinated by insects and mostly not recovered in the previously studied dispersed fossil pollen records. Typically, a single or two pollen types are found on each fossil bee specimen, the maximum number of distinct pollen types on a single individual is five. Only five of the 23 pollen types obtained are angiosperms of unknown affinity, the remainder cover a broad taxonomic range of angiosperm trees and include members of several major clades: monocots (1 pollen type), fabids (7), malvids (4), asterids (5) and other core eudicots (1). Seven types each can be assigned to individual genera or infrafamilial clades. Since bees visit only flowers in the relative vicinity of their habitat, the recovered pollen provides a unique insight into the autochthonous palaeo-flora. The coexistence of taxa such as Decodon, Elaeocarpus, Mortoniodendron and other Tilioideae, Mastixoideae, Olax, Pouteria and Nyssa confirms current views that diverse, thermophilic forests thrived at the Messel and Eckfeld localities, probably under a warm subtropical, fully humid climate. Our study calls for increased attention to pollen found in situ on pollen-harvesting insects such as bees, which can provide new insights on insect-pollinated plants and complement even detailed palaeo-palynological knowledge obtained mostly from pollen of wind-pollinated plants in the dispersed pollen record of sediments. In the case of Elaeocarpus, Mortoniodendron, Olax and Pouteria the pollen collected by the middle Eocene bees represent the earliest unambiguous records of their respective genera.
“…7D), visible as black concretions under LM (e.g. Grímsson et al 2011b). The excellent preservation of palynomorphs from dissolved phosphoritic nodules has only recently been noticed.…”
Section: Phosphoritic Nodules and A First Assessment Of The Palynomormentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The Palaeocene material from the Agatdalen (Koch 1963) and the Faeroe Islands (Pott et al 2014) are multi-lobed, but no cuticle structures have been observed so far in this material. The dispersed fossil Ginkgo pollen found in the same sediments as the leaves (F. Grímsson et al, unpublished data) differ not only from each other but also from the pollen affiliated with the typical European Neogene Ginkgo adiantoides (Grímsson et al 2011b). The Palaeogene Ginkgo leaves and pollen from this geographical region and North America need to be studied in more detail Most of the Metasequoia occidentalis material from Agatdalen truly belongs to that species.…”
Section: Phosphoritic Nodules and A First Assessment Of The Palynomormentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The excellent preservation of palynomorphs from dissolved phosphoritic nodules has only recently been noticed. Pollen and spores from early Oligocene marine phosphoritic nodules were studied from Cospuden in Germany (Schmid 2000, Denk et al 2012), and from middle Miocene freshwater nodules of Lavanttal in Austria (Grímsson & Zetter 2011, Grímsson et al 2011b, 2015a, 2016. Preliminary results on the palynoflora from the Agatdal Fm reveal a hyperdiverse angiosperm flora with at least 145 angiosperm pollen types covering a minimum of 34 families.…”
Section: Phosphoritic Nodules and A First Assessment Of The Palynomormentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In some cases coarser clastic sediments are part of the main body; these nodules are more brownish in colour. Processing of the nodules (see Grímsson et al 2011b andDenk et al 2012 for preparation method) revealed a rich assemblage of marine and terrestrial palynomorphs (Fig. 7).…”
Section: Phosphoritic Nodules and A First Assessment Of The Palynomormentioning
ABSTRACT. The Cretaceous and Palaeogene floras of western Greenland that were initially described as part of the classical work "Flora fossilis arctica" by Oswald Heer in the 19 th century are currently under revision. The Nuussuaq Basin has repeatedly been investigated by geologists and marine invertebrate palaeontologists. These studies provide a modern stratigraphic framework and a basis for revisions of various Cretaceous to Eocene floras from this region, and the correlation of fossil material to stratigraphic units and formal formations. This paper is the first in a series of papers that (i) correlate macrofossil (museum) material and fossil-rich localities with the modern lithostratigraphic framework, (ii) describe new pollen, spores, and other marine/freshwater palynomorphs, and (iii) revise the macrofossil remains from the Agatdalen area (particularly the Danian Agatdal Formation). Since the work of B. Eske Koch in the 1960s and 70s, questions emerged about the correlation of plant fossiliferous outcrops and whether the so-called Agatdalen flora, referred to the Agatdal Formation, originates from a single sedimentary unit or not. In this paper, we summarise the stratigraphy of the Agatdalen area and correlate the fossil plant-bearing outcrops described by Koch to the current lithostratigraphy. We establish which plant fossils belong to the Agatdal Formation and re-assign a great number of other plant fossils to their correct formations. New palynological material is briefly described and correlated to the macrofossil localities and the Agatdal Formation. Previous accounts on the macrofossils (leaves, fruits, seeds) are briefly discussed and directions for future revisions are outlined.
The present study investigates the pollen morphology of 12 species belonging to the genera Ammannia, Lythrum, and Rotala of the family Lythraceae in Iran using light microscope and scanning electron microscope. The pollen grains are oblate, suboblate, oblate spheroidal, spheroidal, prolate spheroidal, subprolate and prolate, tricolporate with three or six alternating pseudocolpi (heteroaperturate), striate or rugulate exine sculpturing, microverrucate to microbaculate and microechinate colpus membrane, microverrucate to microbaculate, and psilate pseudocolpi membrane sculpturing types. The results revealed that these characters are taxonomically informative and can be used to identify the three studied genera and their species. We used multivariate analysis to understand the importance of pollen morphological data in determining genera and species relationships. Our findings revealed that the pollen qualitative traits have significant role in determining the generic delimitation.
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