Late Paleozoic–early Mesozoic continental biostratigraphy — Links to the Standard Global Chronostratigraphic Scale

Nonmarine biostratigraphic/biochronologic schemes have been created for all or parts of the late Carboniferous–Middle Triassic using palynomorphs, megafossil plants, conchostracans, blattoid insects, tetrapod footprints and tetrapod body fossils, and these provide varied temporal resolution. Cross correlation of the nonmarine biochronologies to the Standard Global Chronostratigraphic Scale has been achieved in some parts of the late Carboniferous–Middle Triassic in locations where nonmarine and marine strata are intercalated, the nonmarine strata produce biochronologically significant fossils and the marine strata yield fusulinids, conodonts and/or ammonoids. Other cross correlations have been aided by magnetostratigraphy, chemostratigraphy and a growing database of radioisotopic ages. A synthetic nonmarine biochronology for the late Carboniferous–Middle Triassic based on all available nonmarine index fossils, integrated with the Standard Global Chronostratigraphic Scale, is presented here. The focus is on the nonmarine biostratigraphy/biochronology of blattoid insects, conchostracans, branchiosaurid amphibians, tetrapod footprints and tetrapod body fossils within the biochronological framework of land-vertebrate faunachrons. Correlation to the Standard Global Chronostratigraphic Scale presented here is divided into seven time intervals: Pennsylvanian, Carboniferous–Permian boundary, Cisuralian, Guadalupian, Lopingian, Permian–Triassic boundary and Early to Middle Triassic. The insects, conchostracans and branchiosaurs provide robust nonmarine correlations in the Pennsylvanian–Cisuralian, and the footprints and tetrapod body fossils provide robust correlations of varied precision within the entire Pennsylvanian–Middle Triassic. Radioisotopic ages are currently the strongest basis for cross correlation of the nonmarine biostratigraphy/biochronology to the Standard Global Chronostratigraphic Scale, particularly for the Pennsylvanian–Cisuralian. Chemostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy thus far provide only limited links of nomarine and marine chronologies. Improvements in the nonmarine-marine correlations of late Paleozoic–Triassic Pangea require better alpha taxonomy and stratigraphic precision for the nonmarine fossil record integrated with more reliable radioisotopic ages and more extensive chemostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic datasets.     

New Data on the Cenozoic History of the Underwater Yamato Rise,Sea of Japan

The Miocene terrestrial plant assemblage (in macro- and microfossils) from the underwater Yamato Rise (Sea of Japan) is examined. A fossil leaf found in the tuffogenic–sedimentary strata is identified as belonging to the beech tree. Data on the Paleogene–Neogene history of the underwater rise are given. Against the background of its general subsidence, positive relief features (volcanoes and their formations) were formed. During the Cenozoic, the entire Sea of Japan depression experienced a submergence.     

Geochemical compositions of core sediments in eastern China: Implication for Late Cenozoic palaeoenvironmental changes

Three deep drill holes with depth exceeding 300 m were collected from eastern China for geochemical study in order to reconstruct Late Cenozoic palaeoenvironmental changes. The Late Cenozoic strata in eastern China are predominantly composed of lacustrine, fluvial and littoral sediments. Degrees of chemical weathering during the Late Cenozoic were estimated by using geochemical proxies including CaCO₃ contents, chemical index of alteration and Al₂O₃-CaO-(Na₂O + K₂O) diagrams. The results show that chemical weathering was intense in eastern China in the Late Neogene, and progressively weakened during the Quaternary, albeit with amplified fluctuations. Although the palaeoclimatic conditions reconstructed from the drill holes in eastern China are generally comparable with those records from the loess-palaeosol sequences, red clay, and deep-sea sediments in East Asia, they changed asynchronously in north-central and southeast China during the Neogene. The Late Neogene palaeoclimate was overall warmer in southeast China than on the North China Plain except for some extreme cooling periods in the Late Pleistocene. In contrast, the North China Plain experienced moderate to weak chemical weathering with the intensification of East Asian winter monsoon activities during the Late Quaternary. Regional differentiation of palaeoclimatic variability since the Pliocene in eastern China is comparable with today's climate regimes in the Changjiang and Huanghe drainage basins but with different intensities, suggesting different impacts of the East Asian palaeomonsoon during the Late Cenozoic.     

Study on the Fossil Woods Found in Zigong,Sichuan, China

This paper describes three fossil woods, which were firstly found in Zigong city, Sichuan Province, China. The localities of the fossil woods are close to the locality of the famous Dashanpu dinosaur quarry of Zigong. The strata of the fossil woods beating are Xiashaximiao Formation and Xintiangou Formation of the Middle Jurassic, approximately match the strata of the Dashanpu dinosaurs. According to the structures of the secondary xylem, the fossil woods belonged to the primitive conifer genus-Araucarioxylon. Because it was comparatively and obviously different from the other species in this genus, it is assigned as a new species: A. zigongensis. As there was neither fossil leaf nor fossil pollen or spore found in the dinosaur bearing strata before, the discovery of these fossil woods might bear some important significance in the dinosaur research.     

ESTABLISHMENT OF FOSSIL ENTOMOFAUNAS AND THEIR EVOLUTIONARY SUCCESSION IN NORTH CHINA*

Abstract According to a systematic study of large numbers of fossil insects collected from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Tertiary strata in North China, three evolutionary mega-stages of fossil insects including 14 fossil entomofaunas and 29 entomassemblages have been established. These insect faunas reflect their order or law of evolution—the history of their rise and fall, and form their evolutionary succession in North China. Such a history provides an important reference not only for understanding fossil insects through time, but also showing for stratigraphical correlation.     

中国北方化石昆虫群的建立及其演化序列(英文)

作者几十年来已积累了众多的中国北方古生代晚期、中生代和第三纪的昆虫化石标本,对其长期的系统研究结果表明：中国北方昆虫化石演化序列可以划分为三个大的演化阶段,即古生代晚期、中生代和第三纪演化阶段,其中包含14个昆虫群虫和29个昆虫组合。这些昆虫群及其组会既反映了北方昆虫在地质历史上兴衰的发展规律,也为地层划分、对比与地质时代的鉴定提供了依据。     

The Late Neogene mammal biochronology in the Loess Plateau,China

For lacking of absolute dating, and because of the strong mammalian faunal endemism, the Chinese late Neogene has long been subdivided into mammalian ages mostly based on isolated local faunas by evolutionary stages of fossil taxa. The correlation with European stages and or mammalian units remains unsatisfied. We report the recent advances of the land mammal biochronology of late Neogene based on fossils found from continuous sections located at Lantian, Shaanxi Province and Lingtai, Gansu Province. There recognized three biozones for the late Miocene by fossils from the Bahe and Lantian formations, and three biozones for Pliocene on the data from Lingtai. The detailed biochronology work in combination with paleomagnetic data may improve the precision of correlation in the continental scale.     

东海陆架西南部台北坳陷新近纪孢粉植物群演替

对东海陆架西南部台北坳陷13口钻井孢粉分析表明,本地区新近纪植物群经历了3个发展阶段,即：1)早中新世早期松科花粉优势期;2)早、中中新世阿丁枫科花粉繁盛期;3)晚中新世至早上新世草本被子植物发展期。各时期孢粉植物群在横向上几乎没有大的区别,表明新近纪整个坳陷内构造与沉积环境及其变迁具有很好的一致性。植物群演替反映古气候从早中新世早期的湿润温凉到早、中中新世的暖湿,最后(晚中新世至早上新世)又趋温凉的变化历程。     

渤海青东凹陷垦利构造新生代微体古生物群特征及古环境分析

本研究先后共选取采自渤海湾盆地垦利构造带的221块样品进行系统古生物分析,其中孢粉藻类样品130块(岩屑),介形类、轮藻、腹足类样品90块(岩屑),钙质超微样品1块,揭示了不同时期沉积序列的生物演化规律及其环境指示意义.深入剖析这些生储油层位的微体古生物群组合,进而揭示了区域古环境特征,对于开展区域地层对比,指导油气勘探和生烃潜力评价等都具有重要的意义.     

A systematic overview of fossil osmundalean ferns in China: Diversity variation,distribution pattern,and evolutionary implications

The order Osmundales is a unique fern taxon with extensive fossil records in geological past. Diverse osmundalean fossils have been reported from China, ranging in age from the Late Palaeozoic to the Cenozoic. Most of them are based on leaf impressions/compressions, but permineralized rhizomes are also well documented. In this study, we provide a systematic overview on fossil osmundalean ferns in China with special references on diversity variations, distribution patterns, and evolutionary implications. Fossil evidence indicates that this fern lineage first appeared in the Late Palaeozoic in China. The Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic interval was the radiation stage. From the Late Jurassic onward, fossil diversity declined rapidly. Cenozoic osmundalean taxa are represented by the relict species of Osmunda. Geographically, osmundalean fossils are found from both the Northern and Southern phytoprovinces of China, though variations are documented for geographical ranges. The Chinese fossil records cover almost all important stages for the macroevolution of the Osmundales, and contribute to further understanding of evolutionary processes of this peculiar fern lineage.     

A golden orb-weaver spider (Araneae: Nephilidae: Nephila) from the Middle Jurassic of China

Nephila are large, conspicuous weavers of orb webs composed of golden silk, in tropical and subtropical regions. Nephilids have a sparse fossil record, the oldest described hitherto being Cretaraneus vilaltae from the Cretaceous of Spain. Five species from Neogene Dominican amber and one from the Eocene of Florissant, CO, USA, have been referred to the extant genus Nephila. Here, we report the largest known fossil spider, Nephila jurassica sp. nov., from Middle Jurassic (approx. 165 Ma) strata of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. The new species extends the fossil record of the family by approximately 35 Ma and of the genus Nephila by approximately 130 Ma, making it the longest ranging spider genus known. Nephilidae originated somewhere on Pangaea, possibly the North China block, followed by dispersal almost worldwide before the break-up of the supercontinent later in the Mesozoic. The find suggests that the palaeoclimate was warm and humid at this time. This giant fossil orb-weaver provides evidence of predation on medium to large insects, well known from the Daohugou beds, and would have played an important role in the evolution of these insects.     

A protocol for temporal calibration of general area cladograms

Aim To describe a protocol for incorporating a temporal dimension into historical biogeographical analysis, while maintaining the essential independence of all datasets, involving the generation of general area cladograms. Location Global. Methods General area cladograms (GACs) are a reconstruction of the evolutionary history of a set of areas and unrelated clades within those areas. Nodes on a GAC correspond to speciation events in a group of taxa; general nodes are those at which multiple unrelated clades speciate. We undertake temporal calibration of GACs using molecular clock estimates of splitting events between extant taxa as well as first appearance data from the fossil record. We present two examples based on re‐analysis of previously published data: first, a temporally calibrated GAC generated from secondary Brooks parsimony analysis (BPA) of six extant bird clades from the south‐west of North America using molecular clock estimates of divergence times; and second, an analysis of African Neogene mammals based on a phylogenetic analysis for comparing trees (PACT) analysis. Results A hypothetical example demonstrates how temporal calibration reveals potentially critical information about the timing of both unique and general events, while also illustrating instances of incongruence between dates generated from molecular clock estimates and fossils. For the African Neogene mammal dataset, our analysis reveals that most mammal clades underwent geodispersal associated with the Neogene climatic optimum (c. 16 Ma) and vicariant speciation in central Africa correlated with increased aridity and cooler temperatures around 2.5 Ma. Main conclusions Temporally calibrated GACs are valuable tools for assessing whether coordinated patterns of speciation are associated with large‐scale climatic or tectonic phenomena.     

FOSSILS AND A LARGE MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY SHOW THAT THE EVOLUTION OF SPECIES RICHNESS,GENERIC DIVERSITY,AND TURNOVER RATES ARE DISCONNECTED

The magnitude and extent of global change during the Cenozoic is remarkable, yet the impacts of these global changes on the biodiversity and evolutionary dynamics of species diversification remain poorly understood. To investigate this question, we combine paleontological and neontological data for the angiosperm order Fagales, an ecologically important clade of about 1370 species of trees with an exceptional fossil record. We show differences in patterns of accumulation of generic diversity, species richness, and turnover rates for Fagales. Generic diversity evolved rapidly since the Late Cretaceous and peaked during the Eocene or Oligocene. Turnover rates were high during periods of extreme global climate change, but relatively low when the climate remained stable. Species richness accumulated gradually throughout the Cenozoic, possibly at an accelerated pace after the Middle Miocene. Species diversification occurred in new environments: Quercoids radiating in Oligocene subtropical seasonally arid habitats, Casuarinaceae in Australian pyrophytic biomes, and Betula in Late Neogene holarctic habitats. These radiations were counterbalanced by regional extinctions in Late Neogene mesic warm‐temperate forests. Thus, the overall diversification at species level is linked to regional radiations of clades with appropriate ecologies exploiting newly available habitats.     

江西安源组植物化石一新属——Jiangxifolium

为了探讨安源煤系的煤层对比,我们对江西丰城县攸洛勘探区内60个钻孔进行了系统的化石采集工作,发现可能属于真蕨类的一个新属——江西叶属(Jiangxifolium gen. nov. ), 化石产于晚三叠世安源组中下部的深灰色粉砂岩中.攸洛勘探区位于丰城县南约28km,区内安源煤系总厚>850m,煤系地层根据岩性从下往上分为5段,现将地层和化石产出层位自上而下介绍如下:     

First fossil evidence of Palaeocarya (Engelhardioideae: Juglandaceae) from India and its biogeographical implications

Even though presently indigenous to eastern Himalaya in India, no Engelhardioideae have been reported from the Cenozoic sediments of India till date. Here, we report the first Indian occurrence of a characteristic engelhardioid winged samaroid fruit having a tri-lobed wing (oblong-ovate median lobe and two lateral lobes) and a globose nut from the latest Neogene (Pliocene: Rajdanda Formation) sediments of Chotanagpur Plateau, eastern India. This is the first fossil evidence of relict family Juglandaceae from the Indian Cenozoic. We determine its taxonomic position on the basis of detailed macromorphological comparison with similar extant and fossil specimens and discuss its palaeoclimatic significance in terms of the present-day distribution of modern analogous species. We assign this Pliocene winged fruit specimen to the morphogenus Palaeocarya sect. Monocosta Manchester and describe it as a new species, namely Palaeocarya indica Hazra, Hazra M & Khan sp. nov. Palaeocarya sect. Monocosta has rich fossil records from the Cenozoic sediments of Europe, North America, and eastern Asia (China, Korea), but the modern analog, Engelhardia, is presently native only to India and neighboring Southeast Asia. We discuss the possible causes of disappearance of Engelhardia from the present-day vegetation of Chotanagpur Plateau. Its disappearance may be related to the gradual intensification of monsoonal rainfall seasonality since the Pliocene. Here, we also review in detail the biogeographic history of Palaeocarya sect. Monocosta and suggest its possible migration routes.     

Integrated stratigraphy and 40Ar/39Ar chronology of early Middle Miocene sediments from DSDP Leg 42A,Site 372 (Western Mediterranean)

An integrated magneto-biostratigraphic framework is presented for Middle Miocene sediments of DSDP Site 372 located in the Western Mediterranean. Detailed biostratigraphic analysis shows a nearly complete sequence of early Middle Miocene calcareous plankton bioevents in the Mediterranean, including the LCO (Last Common Occurrence) of the nannofossil Sphenolithus heteromorphus which has been astronomically dated in the Ras il Pellegrin (RIP) section on Malta Island [Abels, H.A., Hilgen, F.J., Krijgsman, W., Kruk, R.W., Raffi, I., Turco, E., Zachariasse, W.J., 2005. Long-period orbital control on middle Miocene global cooling: integrated stratigraphy and astronomical tuning of the Blue Clay Formation on Malta, Paleoceanography, 20, PA4012. doi: 10.1029/2004PA001129. 11 pp]. Thermal demagnetization of discrete samples revealed a characteristic low-temperature component with dual polarities despite a weak paleomagnetic signal. The resultant magnetostratigraphic record, combined with the calcareous plankton biostratigraphy, is straightforwardly correlated to the geomagnetic polarity time scale (CK95) of Cande and Kent [Cande, S.C., Kent, D.V., 1995. Revised calibration of the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale for the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 6093–6095] and the Astronomical Tuned Neogene Time Scale (ATNTS04) of Lourens et al. [Lourens, L.J., Hilgen, F.J., Laskar, J., Shackleton, N.J., Wilson, D., 2004. The Neogene Period. In: Gradstein F.M., Ogg J.G., Smith A.G. (Eds.), A Geologic Time Scale, Cambridge Univ. Press, pp. 409–440]. The subchrons recorded in Site 372 succession range from C5Br up to C5AAr. To confirm the magnetostratigraphic calibration, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating was performed on feldspar of two volcanic ash layers. The radio-isotopic dating indicates a younger age for these two ash layers compared to the magnetostratigraphic calibrated ages according to the CK95 and ATNTS04 age models. However, if the astronomically calibrated age of 28.21 ± 0.04 Ma is used for the Fish Canyon standard (FCs), the age for the older ash layer exactly matches its ATNTS04 age. Ages for bioevents were calculated assuming constant sedimentation rates between magnetostratigraphic age-tie points. The S. heteromorphus LCO has an age of 13.54 Ma and 13.63 Ma according to CK95 and ATNTS04, respectively, which is consistent with the astronomical tuned age of 13.65 Ma determined at RIP section [Abels, H.A., Hilgen, F.J., Krijgsman, W., Kruk, R.W., Raffi, I., Turco, E., Zachariasse, W.J., 2005. Long-period orbital control on middle Miocene global cooling: integrated stratigraphy and astronomical tuning of the Blue Clay Formation on Malta, Paleoceanography, 20, PA4012. doi:10.1029/2004PA001129. 11 pp]. We therefore conclude that the magnetostratigraphic calibration of DSDP Site 372 is correct and that, for the time being, this site can be considered as a reference section for the early Middle Miocene of the Mediterranean region.     

Evolutionary dispersal drives the latitudinal diversity gradient of stony corals

The diversity of stony corals displays one of the most exemplary latitudinal gradients on the planet, yet the evolutionary dynamics that produced this pattern remains unclear. Using both paleontological and distributional data, we compare the origination, extinction and immigration levels between low and high latitudes since the earliest proliferation of the group during the mid‐Triassic. Altogether, first and last occurrence localities in the fossil record do not support a positive preference towards either latitudinal bin. Nonetheless, considering past and present scleractinian fauna, the process of extinction has been apparently more pronounced at higher latitudes based on face values and correlation coefficients. Far above these differences, immigration of extant taxa has been substantially higher towards the tropics than to temperate regions. While the net dispersal toward low latitudes persists in all temporal intervals, the gradient of diversity was largely built up during the Cenozoic Era and only becomes significantly steep from the Neogene Period onwards. This dynamic supports the ‘into the tropical museum’ model, which suggests that tropics have historically acted as a center of accumulation for marine biodiversity.     

Leaves and pollen of bamboos from the Polish Neogene

Recently discovered fossil bamboo leaves and pollen are described from the Neogene of Poland. Morphological analysis of fossil leaves from the Late Miocene deposits of the Bełchatów Lignite Mine, Central Poland have allowed them to be determined as “Bambusa” lugdunensis Saporta. It is the first record of this species in the Cenozoic of Poland. The fossils have been compared with other records of bamboos from the Cenozoic of Europe. Pollen grains from the Middle Miocene (Badenian) deposits from the Legnica brown coal deposit (Lower Silesia) provide additional evidence of bamboos. These are assigned to Graminidites bambusoides Stuchlik, and are similar to those of recent Arundinaria. We infer that plant (plants?) that produced the pollen of G. bambusoides could have grown in swamp forests and/or reed marshes. This report provides a general survey of the occurrence of bamboos in the European Neogene, from which the leaves and pollen documented here present important data on the distribution of this group of monocots in Poland and eastern Europe.     

A palaeobiological examination of the geological evidence for recurring outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish,Acanthaster planci (L.)

Geological investigations of the crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) have concluded that outbreaks are not only recent but also have occurred in the past. The evidence lies in the abundance of COTS skeletal elements found both on the sea floor and within the underlying sedimentary record. These studies are flawed in three respects. First, the processes of fossil preservation from the living population to the fossil assemblage have been ignored. Second, it has not been demonstrated that the fossil skeletal elements representing alleged outbreak populations of starfish are of the same age. Third, the existence of a relationship between the number of COTS skeletal elements sampled from the sedimentary record and the relative abundance of COTS in the once living population has not been substantiated. The limitations introduced when studying the fossil record need to be established through taphonomic analyses of the COTS. Techniques which will allow greater temporal resolution of skeletal element age include amino-acid geochronology, analysis of sedimentation mode and rate, and correlation among sub-surface cores. In order to establish a relationship between the number of fossil COTS elements and the original population size, methods must be developed which will relate the number of fossil skeletal elements to the relative abundance of starfish in both the fossil and death assemblages and then to relate the latter to the relative size of the original population. When these approaches are used together it may be possible to make some estimate of relative COTS abundances based on data contained in the fossil record.     

Evolutionary trends in leaf morphology and biogeography of Altingiaceae based on fossil evidence

The extant woody family Altingiaceae, consisting of only one genus Liquidambar L. with ca. 15 species, demonstrates a typical disjunctive distribution among East Asia, North America, and the Mediterranean. However, the fossil record throughout the Cenozoic indicates that Altingiaceae was once widespread in the Northern Hemisphere. After studying the abundant Altingiaceae fossil leaf collections, we revised the easily-confused fossil leaves and corrected the misidentifications. Consequently, we proposed an evolutionary history of Altingiaceae leaf morphology in consulting the modern leaf characteristics. It is revealed that the trilobated leaf morphology is the ancestral character state, whereas both the pentalobated and the undivided, pinnate-veined lineages evolved separately. The latter diverged from the trilobated ancestor in South China in Eocene. The lobed and undivided lineages represent the deciduous and evergreen, respectively. An extensive fossil database of Altingiaceae was built to reconstruct its biogeographical history. We reconfirmed that Altingiaceae developed into a temperate and a subtropical-tropical patterns and migrated across both the Bering and North Atlantic land bridges since Cretaceous, independently. It was widespread in the early Neogene of North America and Eurasia, and became extinct in the high latitude triggered by the global cooling and aridification. The modern disjunctive distribution was finally formed, with southeast Asia as its modern diversity center. This study provides new fossil evidence for understanding the morphology and biogeography of the family Altingiaceae.