Local differences in paleohydrology have stronger influence on plant biomarkers than regional climate change across two Paleogene Laramide Basins, Wyoming, USA

Azevedo-Schmidt, Lauren; Diefendorf, Aaron F.; Schlanser, Kristen M.; Baczynski, Allison A.; Dechesne, Marieke; Dunn, Regan E.; Freeman, Katherine H.; Currano, Ellen D.

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2022.110977

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 67 publications

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“…In light of the inferred importance of water stress in causing extirpations of plants in the BHB it is significant that in the Hanna Basin, ∼250 km to the SE, landscapes remained wetter during the PETM (Azevedo‐Schmidt et al., 2022), and some of the taxa that were locally extirpated during the CIE body in the BHB persisted through the same time in the Hanna Basin (Dechesne et al., 2020). Hanna Basin drainages may have been larger than those of the BHB, maintaining wetter floodplains, or possibly the more southerly and easterly location of the Hanna Basin allowed more monsoonal precipitation during the hot PETM summers, particularly if the mountains to the east did not block precipitation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palynofloral Change Through the Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming

Korasidis,

Wing

2023

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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To better understand the effect of the Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) on continental ecosystems, we studied 40 new palynological samples from the Bighorn Basin (BHB), northwestern Wyoming, USA. We see palm and fern abundances increase in the last 20–40 ka of the Paleocene, then dramatically with the onset of the carbon isotope excursion (CIE) defining the base of the PETM. Palynomorphs of plant groups with modern temperate climate distributions are absent from the CIE body, and this is when tropical plants are most diverse and abundant. During the CIE recovery, pollen of mesophytic/wetland plants become more common while tropical taxa persist. In the post‐CIE early Eocene tropical taxa are rare and temperate forms abundant, similar to the late but not latest Paleocene. Changes in the palynoflora are more easily detected if reworked palynomorphs are removed from analyses. We interpret palynofloral changes to indicate warming in the latest Paleocene, rapid warming and drying with the CIE onset, dry tropical climates through the CIE body, a return to wetter floodplains during a very warm CIE recovery, and cooler wet conditions in the post‐PETM early Eocene. These inferences are consistent with geochemical and paleobotanical proxies. Strikingly similar patterns in the palynoflora and megaflora suggest changes in vegetation were a basin‐wide phenomenon. These rapid, climatically forced changes in floral composition occurred without major extinction, perhaps indicating nearby refugia in which plants adapted to cooler and wetter climates persisted through the PETM.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palynofloral Change Through the Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming

Korasidis,

Wing

2023

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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Landscape-level variability and insect herbivore outbreak captured within modern forests provides a framework for interpreting the fossil record

Azevedo-Schmidt

Swain

Shoemaker

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Temporal patterns of plant–insect interactions are readily observed within fossil datasets but spatial variability is harder to disentangle without comparable modern methods due to limitations in preservation. This is problematic as spatial variability influences community structure and interactions. To address this we replicated paleobotanical methods within three modern forests, creating an analogous dataset that rigorously tested inter- and intra-forest plant–insect variability. Random mixed effects models, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordinations, and bipartite network- and node-level metrics were used. Total damage frequency and diversity did not differ across forests but differences in functional feeding groups (FFGs) were observed across forests, correlating with plant diversity, evenness, and latitude. Overall, we found higher generalized herbivory within the temperate forests than the wet-tropical, a finding also supported by co-occurrence and network analyses at multiple spatial scales. Intra-forest analyses captured consistent damage type communities, supporting paleobotanical efforts. Bipartite networks captured the feeding outbreak of Lymantria dispar caterpillars; an exciting result as insect outbreaks have long been unidentifiable within fossil datasets. These results support paleobotanical assumptions about fossil insect herbivore communities, provide a comparative framework between paleobotanical and modern communities, and suggest a new analytical framework for targeting modern and fossil outbreaks of insect feeding.

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Interactive Effects of Temperature, Aridity, and Plant Stoichiometry on Insect Herbivory: Past and Present

Swain,

Azevedo-Schmidt,

Maccracken

et al. 2024

The American Naturalist

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Local differences in paleohydrology have stronger influence on plant biomarkers than regional climate change across two Paleogene Laramide Basins, Wyoming, USA

Cited by 3 publications

References 67 publications

Palynofloral Change Through the Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming

Palynofloral Change Through the Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming

Landscape-level variability and insect herbivore outbreak captured within modern forests provides a framework for interpreting the fossil record

Interactive Effects of Temperature, Aridity, and Plant Stoichiometry on Insect Herbivory: Past and Present

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