The leaflet architecture of Cyclocarya cf. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja from the Hunchun Formation （Middle Eocene） shows similarity to that of modem C. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja and the specimen is the oldest...The leaflet architecture of Cyclocarya cf. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja from the Hunchun Formation （Middle Eocene） shows similarity to that of modem C. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja and the specimen is the oldest fossil record in Europe and Asia. The distributions of C. cf. paliurus and other fossil records, such as Glyptostrobus, Metasequoia, Nyssa, and Liquidambar, in Hunchun flora show that it would have been a warmer-temperature to subtropical climate in Hunchun District during the Eocene period.展开更多
The uplift of different parts of the Tibetan Plateau caused by the collision,subduction and thickening of the Indian-Eurasian continent is considered to be the most significant landform change of Asia in the last 50 M...The uplift of different parts of the Tibetan Plateau caused by the collision,subduction and thickening of the Indian-Eurasian continent is considered to be the most significant landform change of Asia in the last 50 Ma.The plateau uplift led to elevation and topographical changes in neighboring areas and created diversified niches for the distribution and migration of plants and animals.The resultant high mountains controlled the South Asian monsoon,preventing the monsoon from crossing the plateau and reaching the hinterland of Asia.展开更多
Quantifying the palaeoclimates of Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is vital for understanding the uplift history of plateau and the evolution of Asian monsoon since Cenozoic. Recently, the Coexistence Approach(CA) has been em...Quantifying the palaeoclimates of Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is vital for understanding the uplift history of plateau and the evolution of Asian monsoon since Cenozoic. Recently, the Coexistence Approach(CA) has been employed to reconstruct the palaeoelevation and palaeoclimate of the plateau by several studies. However, the application of CA in mountainous areas and the realism of climate reconstructions via this method are seldom discussed,although the complexity of reconstructions is speculated. Here we reevaluated the realism of climate reconstruction using the CA with modern pollen samples from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, and try to explore the possible factors influencing the precipitation and temperature reconstructions by CA. We suggest that the long-distance transport pollen as a result of the Asian summer monsoon potentially significantly affects the reconstructions both for precipitation and temperature. The precipitation complexly interacting with snowmelt and permafrost thaw leads to the discrepancy between the reconstructed precipitation and the real value. The response temperature for blossoming of dwarfed plants on the plateau is mostly likely higher than the air temperature(usually measured at1.5 m above ground) due to energy flux or morphological adaptation of inflorescences during the growing season,causing the distortion of temperature reconstructions. Precipitation reconstruction is notoriously difficult as the establishers of CA have already suggested, but reconstructing the low temperatures may be even more challenging on Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Though all of the explorations in current paper are in a qualitative way, it offers an inspiration of how appropriately interpret the disagreements between CA results and the observations, and of how to obtain a reasonable reconstruction of palaeoclimate of the plateau.展开更多
The Upper Miocene Xiaohe Formation of the Yuanmou Basin in Yunnan Pro- vince, southwestern China, is famous for its hominoid fauna and is important for studying the Late Cenozoic human and mammal evolution. Abundant f...The Upper Miocene Xiaohe Formation of the Yuanmou Basin in Yunnan Pro- vince, southwestern China, is famous for its hominoid fauna and is important for studying the Late Cenozoic human and mammal evolution. Abundant fossil wood was found associated with this fauna, which provided important evidence for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the basin. Among the fossil wood, two different taxa have been identified namely, Quercoxylon sp. （Fagaceae） and Pterocarya sp. （Juglandaceae）. Based on the habitats of their Nearest Living Relatives （NRLs）, it is suggested that upland subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest dominated by QuercuslLithocarpus was common around the basin, while a lowland deciduous broad-leaved forest dominated by Pterocarya was present on the river bank of the basin during the Late Miocene.展开更多
This paper describes the fossil fruits of Scirpus weichangensis X.Q.Liang,sp.nov.from the early Miocene of Guangyongfa Village,Weichang County,Hebei Province,North China.The fossil fruits are obovate in shape and thei...This paper describes the fossil fruits of Scirpus weichangensis X.Q.Liang,sp.nov.from the early Miocene of Guangyongfa Village,Weichang County,Hebei Province,North China.The fossil fruits are obovate in shape and their lateral sections are plumply trigonous.The cell walls of the surface are straight.The persistent stout bristles have downward-directed barbellae in distal 1/2.The occurrence of the fossil Scirpus indicates that Guangfayong was a wetland in the early Miocene.Based on the fossil data,the genus likely originated in Western Siberia in the Oligocene,spread during the Miocene,and was finally distributed worldwide in the Holocene.展开更多
Chemical investigation of the organic solvent extract of Cretaceous Ginkgo coriacea Florin leaves by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy （LC-MS） and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）, analogous ...Chemical investigation of the organic solvent extract of Cretaceous Ginkgo coriacea Florin leaves by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy （LC-MS） and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）, analogous to those from extant leaves of Ginkgo biloba L., led to the detection of a group of natural flavonoids and other volatiles. The similarity of the chemical constituents in these two species of Ginkgo suggest that the secondary metabolism of extant G. biloba is close to that of the Cretaceous species. The remaining natural products may be one explanation why the leaves of the Cretaceous G. coriacea have been preserved morphologically in fossilization. The detection of flavonoids suggests that the leaves of G. coriacea experienced a mild post-depositional environment during their fossilization. This appears to be the oldest occurrence of flavonoids in plant fossils.展开更多
In the present study, nectar and pollen sources for honeybee （Apls cerana cerana Fabr.） were studied in Qlnglan mangrove area, Hainan Island, China, based on microscopic analysis of honey and pollen load （corblcula...In the present study, nectar and pollen sources for honeybee （Apls cerana cerana Fabr.） were studied in Qlnglan mangrove area, Hainan Island, China, based on microscopic analysis of honey and pollen load （corblcular and gut contents） from honeybees collected In October and November 2004. Qualitative and quantitative melittopalynologlcal analysis of the natural honey sample showed that the honey is of unlfloral type with Mimosa pudlca L. （Mlmosaceae） as the predominant （89.14%） source of nectar and pollen for A. cerana cerana In October. Members of Araceae are an Important minor （3%-15%） pollen type, whereas those of Arecaceae are a minor （〈3%） pollen type. Pollen grains of Nypa fruticans Wurmb., Rhlzophora spp., Excoecarla agallocha L., Lumnitzera spp., Brugulera spp., Kandella candel Druce, and Ceriops tagal （Perr.） C. B. Rob. are among the notable mangrove texa growing In Qinglan mangrove area recorded as minor taxa In the honey. The absolute pollen count （I.e. the number of pollen grains/10 g honey sample） suggests that the honey belongs to Group V （〉1 000 000）. Pollen analysis from the corblcular and gut contents of A. cerana cerana revealed the highest representation （95.60%） of members of Sonneratia spp. （Sonneratlaceae）, followed by Bruguiera spp. （Rhizophoraceae）, Euphorblaceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Arecaceae, Araceae, Anacardlaceae, and Rublaceae. Of these plants, those belonging to Sonneratla plants are the most Important nectar and pollen sources for A. cerana cerana and are frequently foraged and pollinated by these bees in November.展开更多
The distribution pattern of vegetation on QinghaieTibetan Plateau is fundamentally influenced by the plateau climate, which is mainly controlled by Indian monsoon during summer. The long distance transportation of pol...The distribution pattern of vegetation on QinghaieTibetan Plateau is fundamentally influenced by the plateau climate, which is mainly controlled by Indian monsoon during summer. The long distance transportation of pollen（mostly anemophilous taxa） produced by trees on the plateau has been recorded by modern pollen samples in previous studies, and hypothesized to be a good indicator of monsoon dynamics.Here we use 270 surface pollen samples from QinghaieTibetan Plateau to test the distribution patterns of the anemophilous tree pollen. Meanwhile factors related to Indian monsoon affecting pollen transportation are simulated and analyzed. Results show that depositional patterns of anemophilous tree pollen, especially Abies, Pinus, Quercus and Betula are completely controlled by the pathways of Indian monsoon. This is reflected by climatic indicators of the atmospheric pressure pattern over JuneeJ ulye August, by the precipitation pattern over JuneeJulyeAugust and by the topographic feature of the plateau. The spatial interpolation of thin plate spline results also display two depositional centers（ca. 30°N, 95°E and 30°N, 105°E）of the anemophilous tree pollen. In contrast to previous conclusion that pollen distributional pattern is determined by mean annual precipitation, we argue that Indian monsoon is the essential controller because of the synchronization between timing of monsoon wind and timing of plants flowering. Our finding strongly suggests that distributional pattern of anemophilous tree pollen on the plateau is a good proxy of Indian monsoon.展开更多
The evolution of the Asian monsoon from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene is poorly understood.Here,we first reconstruct the precipitation data of central Tibet during 26–16 million years ago(Ma),applying the c...The evolution of the Asian monsoon from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene is poorly understood.Here,we first reconstruct the precipitation data of central Tibet during 26–16 million years ago(Ma),applying the coexistence approach to sedimentary pollen data,and detect an intensified Asian monsoon with1.35 Ma and0.33 Ma cycles.Paleoclimate modeling is used to show the importance of paleogeographic location in the development of the paleomonsoon.In addition,the results of spectral analysis suggest that the fluctuations in the Asian monsoon during 26–16 Ma can be attributed to the long-period cyclicities in obliquity(1.2 Ma).These findings provide climate data that can be used to understand the Asian monsoon evolution during the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene and highlight the effects of paleogeographic patterns and long-period orbital forcings on the tectonic-scale evolution of the Asian monsoon.展开更多
Spirematospermum is a well-known extinct zingiberalean taxon, characterized by trilocular capsules containing many distinctive, spirally striate and arillate seeds. It is frequently found and studied in European Neoge...Spirematospermum is a well-known extinct zingiberalean taxon, characterized by trilocular capsules containing many distinctive, spirally striate and arillate seeds. It is frequently found and studied in European Neogene carpological floras, but is scarcely represented in East Asia floras. In this work we recognize a new fossil record of Spirematospermum wetzleri（Heer） Chandler based on the capsules and seeds from the Miocene of Weichang, Hebei Province, North China. These fossils represent the first record of the species in the Miocene of China. Fossil data indicate that Spirematospermum probably originated in the Late Cretaceous of North America or Central Europe.The genus still existed in the Paleocene of North America, but became extinct after that time. However, the genus successively survived in Europe from the Eocene to Pliocene, and flourished luxuriantly during the Oligocene to Miocene. As there was Turgai Strait between Europe and Asia during the Eocene, the genus did not spread to Central Asia and West Siberia until the strait closed in the late Eocene/early Oligocene, and further expanded eastwardly to eastern Siberia, Russia, northern China and central Japan during the Miocene, but became extinct in Asia after the Miocene. The genus contracted its distribution to Europe in the Pliocene, and afterwards it became extinct in the world.展开更多
文摘The leaflet architecture of Cyclocarya cf. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja from the Hunchun Formation （Middle Eocene） shows similarity to that of modem C. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja and the specimen is the oldest fossil record in Europe and Asia. The distributions of C. cf. paliurus and other fossil records, such as Glyptostrobus, Metasequoia, Nyssa, and Liquidambar, in Hunchun flora show that it would have been a warmer-temperature to subtropical climate in Hunchun District during the Eocene period.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDB26000000)the China National Key Basic Research Program(2014CB954201)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31570223,32000174)the State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany(LSEB2019-1,LSEB2019-4)the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative(2018VBA0016)。
文摘The uplift of different parts of the Tibetan Plateau caused by the collision,subduction and thickening of the Indian-Eurasian continent is considered to be the most significant landform change of Asia in the last 50 Ma.The plateau uplift led to elevation and topographical changes in neighboring areas and created diversified niches for the distribution and migration of plants and animals.The resultant high mountains controlled the South Asian monsoon,preventing the monsoon from crossing the plateau and reaching the hinterland of Asia.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41861003)Basic Work Special Project of the National Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2013FY111500)
文摘Quantifying the palaeoclimates of Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is vital for understanding the uplift history of plateau and the evolution of Asian monsoon since Cenozoic. Recently, the Coexistence Approach(CA) has been employed to reconstruct the palaeoelevation and palaeoclimate of the plateau by several studies. However, the application of CA in mountainous areas and the realism of climate reconstructions via this method are seldom discussed,although the complexity of reconstructions is speculated. Here we reevaluated the realism of climate reconstruction using the CA with modern pollen samples from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, and try to explore the possible factors influencing the precipitation and temperature reconstructions by CA. We suggest that the long-distance transport pollen as a result of the Asian summer monsoon potentially significantly affects the reconstructions both for precipitation and temperature. The precipitation complexly interacting with snowmelt and permafrost thaw leads to the discrepancy between the reconstructed precipitation and the real value. The response temperature for blossoming of dwarfed plants on the plateau is mostly likely higher than the air temperature(usually measured at1.5 m above ground) due to energy flux or morphological adaptation of inflorescences during the growing season,causing the distortion of temperature reconstructions. Precipitation reconstruction is notoriously difficult as the establishers of CA have already suggested, but reconstructing the low temperatures may be even more challenging on Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Though all of the explorations in current paper are in a qualitative way, it offers an inspiration of how appropriately interpret the disagreements between CA results and the observations, and of how to obtain a reasonable reconstruction of palaeoclimate of the plateau.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31170206)the National Financial Fund of China (Project "collection and purchase of specimen of Geological heritage", No. 1211311381001)National International Science and Technology Cooperation Program (2009DFA32210)
文摘The Upper Miocene Xiaohe Formation of the Yuanmou Basin in Yunnan Pro- vince, southwestern China, is famous for its hominoid fauna and is important for studying the Late Cenozoic human and mammal evolution. Abundant fossil wood was found associated with this fauna, which provided important evidence for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the basin. Among the fossil wood, two different taxa have been identified namely, Quercoxylon sp. （Fagaceae） and Pterocarya sp. （Juglandaceae）. Based on the habitats of their Nearest Living Relatives （NRLs）, it is suggested that upland subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest dominated by QuercuslLithocarpus was common around the basin, while a lowland deciduous broad-leaved forest dominated by Pterocarya was present on the river bank of the basin during the Late Miocene.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.31760057,31860049,41502017,41072022)
文摘This paper describes the fossil fruits of Scirpus weichangensis X.Q.Liang,sp.nov.from the early Miocene of Guangyongfa Village,Weichang County,Hebei Province,North China.The fossil fruits are obovate in shape and their lateral sections are plumply trigonous.The cell walls of the surface are straight.The persistent stout bristles have downward-directed barbellae in distal 1/2.The occurrence of the fossil Scirpus indicates that Guangfayong was a wetland in the early Miocene.Based on the fossil data,the genus likely originated in Western Siberia in the Oligocene,spread during the Miocene,and was finally distributed worldwide in the Holocene.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(40403014)the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX1-10-01 and KZCX2-SW-118)
文摘Chemical investigation of the organic solvent extract of Cretaceous Ginkgo coriacea Florin leaves by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy （LC-MS） and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）, analogous to those from extant leaves of Ginkgo biloba L., led to the detection of a group of natural flavonoids and other volatiles. The similarity of the chemical constituents in these two species of Ginkgo suggest that the secondary metabolism of extant G. biloba is close to that of the Cretaceous species. The remaining natural products may be one explanation why the leaves of the Cretaceous G. coriacea have been preserved morphologically in fossilization. The detection of flavonoids suggests that the leaves of G. coriacea experienced a mild post-depositional environment during their fossilization. This appears to be the oldest occurrence of flavonoids in plant fossils.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （40342013）.The authors are grateful to Professor Nai-Qiu Du and Dr XiaoYan Song （Institute of Botany, the ChineseAcademy of Sciences） and Professors Jian-Hua Jin and Wen-Bo Liao （Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China） for their support for this work.
文摘In the present study, nectar and pollen sources for honeybee （Apls cerana cerana Fabr.） were studied in Qlnglan mangrove area, Hainan Island, China, based on microscopic analysis of honey and pollen load （corblcular and gut contents） from honeybees collected In October and November 2004. Qualitative and quantitative melittopalynologlcal analysis of the natural honey sample showed that the honey is of unlfloral type with Mimosa pudlca L. （Mlmosaceae） as the predominant （89.14%） source of nectar and pollen for A. cerana cerana In October. Members of Araceae are an Important minor （3%-15%） pollen type, whereas those of Arecaceae are a minor （〈3%） pollen type. Pollen grains of Nypa fruticans Wurmb., Rhlzophora spp., Excoecarla agallocha L., Lumnitzera spp., Brugulera spp., Kandella candel Druce, and Ceriops tagal （Perr.） C. B. Rob. are among the notable mangrove texa growing In Qinglan mangrove area recorded as minor taxa In the honey. The absolute pollen count （I.e. the number of pollen grains/10 g honey sample） suggests that the honey belongs to Group V （〉1 000 000）. Pollen analysis from the corblcular and gut contents of A. cerana cerana revealed the highest representation （95.60%） of members of Sonneratia spp. （Sonneratlaceae）, followed by Bruguiera spp. （Rhizophoraceae）, Euphorblaceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Arecaceae, Araceae, Anacardlaceae, and Rublaceae. Of these plants, those belonging to Sonneratla plants are the most Important nectar and pollen sources for A. cerana cerana and are frequently foraged and pollinated by these bees in November.
文摘The distribution pattern of vegetation on QinghaieTibetan Plateau is fundamentally influenced by the plateau climate, which is mainly controlled by Indian monsoon during summer. The long distance transportation of pollen（mostly anemophilous taxa） produced by trees on the plateau has been recorded by modern pollen samples in previous studies, and hypothesized to be a good indicator of monsoon dynamics.Here we use 270 surface pollen samples from QinghaieTibetan Plateau to test the distribution patterns of the anemophilous tree pollen. Meanwhile factors related to Indian monsoon affecting pollen transportation are simulated and analyzed. Results show that depositional patterns of anemophilous tree pollen, especially Abies, Pinus, Quercus and Betula are completely controlled by the pathways of Indian monsoon. This is reflected by climatic indicators of the atmospheric pressure pattern over JuneeJ ulye August, by the precipitation pattern over JuneeJulyeAugust and by the topographic feature of the plateau. The spatial interpolation of thin plate spline results also display two depositional centers（ca. 30°N, 95°E and 30°N, 105°E）of the anemophilous tree pollen. In contrast to previous conclusion that pollen distributional pattern is determined by mean annual precipitation, we argue that Indian monsoon is the essential controller because of the synchronization between timing of monsoon wind and timing of plants flowering. Our finding strongly suggests that distributional pattern of anemophilous tree pollen on the plateau is a good proxy of Indian monsoon.
基金The authors thank Prof.Chun-Ju Huang from the China University of Geosciences(Wuhan)for a useful discussion.This research was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(no.XDB26000000)the China National Key Basic Research Program(2014CB954201)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(nos.31570223,41690115,and 32000174)the State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany(nos.LSEB2019-1 and LSEB2019-4)and the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative(2018VBA0016).
文摘The evolution of the Asian monsoon from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene is poorly understood.Here,we first reconstruct the precipitation data of central Tibet during 26–16 million years ago(Ma),applying the coexistence approach to sedimentary pollen data,and detect an intensified Asian monsoon with1.35 Ma and0.33 Ma cycles.Paleoclimate modeling is used to show the importance of paleogeographic location in the development of the paleomonsoon.In addition,the results of spectral analysis suggest that the fluctuations in the Asian monsoon during 26–16 Ma can be attributed to the long-period cyclicities in obliquity(1.2 Ma).These findings provide climate data that can be used to understand the Asian monsoon evolution during the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene and highlight the effects of paleogeographic patterns and long-period orbital forcings on the tectonic-scale evolution of the Asian monsoon.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 41502017 and No. 41072022)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDPB05)
文摘Spirematospermum is a well-known extinct zingiberalean taxon, characterized by trilocular capsules containing many distinctive, spirally striate and arillate seeds. It is frequently found and studied in European Neogene carpological floras, but is scarcely represented in East Asia floras. In this work we recognize a new fossil record of Spirematospermum wetzleri（Heer） Chandler based on the capsules and seeds from the Miocene of Weichang, Hebei Province, North China. These fossils represent the first record of the species in the Miocene of China. Fossil data indicate that Spirematospermum probably originated in the Late Cretaceous of North America or Central Europe.The genus still existed in the Paleocene of North America, but became extinct after that time. However, the genus successively survived in Europe from the Eocene to Pliocene, and flourished luxuriantly during the Oligocene to Miocene. As there was Turgai Strait between Europe and Asia during the Eocene, the genus did not spread to Central Asia and West Siberia until the strait closed in the late Eocene/early Oligocene, and further expanded eastwardly to eastern Siberia, Russia, northern China and central Japan during the Miocene, but became extinct in Asia after the Miocene. The genus contracted its distribution to Europe in the Pliocene, and afterwards it became extinct in the world.
