| 1. |
- Steinthorsdottir, Margret
(författare)
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Global trends of pCO2 across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary supported by the first Southern Hemisphere stomatal proxy-based pCO2 reconstruction
- 2016
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Ingår i: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0031-0182 .- 1872-616X. ; 464, s. 143-152
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reliable reconstructions of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations (pCO2) are required at higher resolution than currently available to help resolve the relationship between mass extinctions and changes in palaeo-pCO2 levels. Such reconstructions are needed: 1, at a high temporal resolution for constraining the pre- and post-extinction atmospheres; and 2, at a sufficient spatial resolution to constrain potential inter-hemispheric differences. Here we estimate pCO2 based on fossil Lauraceae leaf cuticle specimens derived from three localities with strata spanning the latest Cretaceous to the mid-Paleocene, including a new Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (K–Pg) locality, in New Zealand. We use two independent methods of stomatal density-based pCO2 reconstructions; a transfer function calibrated using herbarium material and the stomatal ratio method, producing three calibration sets. Our results based on the mean values of each of the three calibration methods indicate pCO2 ranging between ca. 460 and 650 ppm during the latest Cretaceous, falling precipitously to average values between ca. 360 and 430 ppm across the K–Pg boundary, and further to ca. 305–320 ppm in the mid-Paleocene. A ‘spike’ of extremely high pCO2 at the K–Pg could not be confirmed, but our results are, nonetheless, consistent with previously published pCO2 records from the Northern Hemisphere, and show that stomatal density worldwide was responding to significant changes in pCO2 across the K–Pg.
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| 2. |
- Steinthorsdottir, Margret, et al.
(författare)
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Early Jurassic (late Pliensbachian) CO2 concentrations based on stomatalanalysis of fossil conifer leaves from eastern Australia
- 2015
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Ingår i: Gondwana Research. - Amsterdam : Elsevier BV. - 1342-937X .- 1878-0571. ; 27, s. 932-939
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The stomatal index (a measure of stomatal density) of an extinct Australian Early Jurassic araucariacean conifer species, Allocladus helgei Jansson, is used to reconstruct the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (pCO2) in the Early Jurassic. The fossil leaves are preserved in a single bed, palynologically dated to late Pliensbachian (~185–183 Mya). Atmospheric pCO2 is estimated from the ratios between the stomatal index of A. helgei and the stomatal indices of three modern analogs (nearest living equivalent plants). CO2 concentration in the range of ~750–975 ppm was calibrated from the fossil material, with a best-estimated mean of ~900 ppm. The new average pCO2 determined for the late Pliensbachian is thus similar to, although ~10% lower, than previously inferred minimum concentrations of ~1000, based on data from the Northern Hemisphere, but may help constrain pCO2 during this period. Our results are the first pCO2 estimates produced using Jurassic leaves from the Southern Hemisphere and showthat i) paleo-atmospheric pCO2 estimates are consistent at a global scale, though more investigations of Southern Hemisphere material are required, and ii) the stomatal proxy method can now be used without the context of relative change in pCO2 when applying the correct methodology.
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| 3. |
- Qvarnström, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Multi‐proxy analyses of Late Cretaceous coprolites from Germany
- 2019
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Ingår i: Lethaia. - London : John Wiley & Sons. - 0024-1164 .- 1502-3931. ; 52, s. 550-569
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A total of 462 coprolites from three localities exposing Upper Cretaceous deposits in the Münster Basin, northwestern Germany, have been subjected to an array of analytical techniques, with the aim of elucidating ancient trophic structures and predator–prey interactions. The phosphatic composition, frequent bone inclusions, size and morphology collectively suggest that most, if not all, coprolites were produced by carnivorous (predatory or scavenging) vertebrates. The bone inclusions further indicate that the coprolite producers preyed principally upon fish. Putative host animals include bony fish, sharks and marine reptiles – all of which have been previously recorded from the Münster Basin. The presence of borings and other traces on several coprolites implies handling by coprophagous organisms. Remains of epibionts are also common, most of which have been identified as the encrusting bivalve Atreta. Palynological analyses of both the coprolites and host rocks reveal a sparse assemblage dominated by typical Late Cretaceous dinoflagellates, and with sub‐ordinate fern spores, conifer pollen grains and angiosperm pollen grains. The dinoflagellate key taxon Exochosphaeridium cenomaniense corroborates a Cenomanian age for the Plenus Marl, from which most studied coprolites derive. The findings of this study highlight the potential of a multiproxy approach when it comes to unravelling the origin, composition and importance of coprolites in palaeoecosystem analyses.
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| 4. |
- Vajda, Vivi, et al.
(författare)
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Geochemical Fingerprints of Ginkgoales Across the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary of Greenland
- 2021
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Ingår i: International journal of plant sciences. - Chicago : University of Chicago Press. - 1058-5893 .- 1537-5315. ; 182:7, s. 649-662
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Premise of research. Geochemical fingerprinting of fossil plants is a relatively new research field complementing morphological analyses and providing information for paleoenvironmental interpretations. Ginkgoales contains a single extant species but was diverse through the Mesozoic and is an excellent target for biochemical analyses.Methodology. Cuticles derived from fresh and fallen autumn leaves of extant Ginkgo biloba and seven fossil gink- goalean leaf taxa, one seed fern taxon, and two taxa with bennettitalean affinity were analyzed by infrared (IR) microspec- troscopy at the D7 beamline in the MAX IV synchrotron laboratory, Sweden. The fossil material derives from Triassic and Jurassic successions of Greenland. Spectral data sets were compared and evaluated by hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis performed on vector-normalized, first-derivative IR absorption spectra.Pivotal results. The IR absorption spectra of the fossil leaves all reveal signatures that clearly indicate the pres- ence of organic compounds. Spectra of the extant G. biloba leaves reveal the presence of aliphatic chains, aromatic and ester carbonyl functional groups from polymer cutin and other waxy compounds, and polysaccharides. Inter- estingly, both the extant autumn leaves and the fossil specimens reveal the presence of carboxyl/ketone molecules, suggesting that chemical alterations during the initial stages of decomposition are preserved through fossilization. Two major subclusters were identified through HCA of the fossil spectra.Conclusions. Consistent chemical IR signatures, specific for each fossil taxon are present in cuticles, and suf- ficient molecular content is preserved in key regions to reflect the plants’ original chemical signatures. The alter- ations of the organic compounds are initiated as soon as the leaves are shed, with loss of proteins and increased ester and carboxyl/ketone compound production in the fallen leaves. We further show that the groupings of taxa reflect a combination of phylogeny and environmental conditions related to the end-Triassic event.
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| 5. |
- Slodownik, Miriam, et al.
(författare)
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Fossil seed fern Lepidopteris ottonis from Sweden records increasing CO2 concentration during the end-Triassic extinction event
- 2021
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Ingår i: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0031-0182 .- 1872-616X. ; 564
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The end-Triassic event (ETE), a short global interval occurring at the end of the Triassic Period (~201.5 Ma), was characterized by climate change, environmental upheaval, as well as widespread extinctions in both the marine and terrestrial realms. It was associated with extensive perturbations of the carbon cycle, principally caused by the volcanic emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province in relation to the break-up of Pangea. The correlated change in atmospheric CO2 concentrations (pCO2) can be reconstructed with the stomatal proxy, which utilizes the inverse relationship between stomatal densities of plant leaves (here stomatal index (SI), which is the percentage of stomata relative to epidermal cells) and pCO2. Fossilized Lepidopteris leaves are common and widespread in Triassic strata, thus offering great potential for high-resolution pCO2 reconstructions. A dataset of leaf cuticle specimens belonging to the seed fern species Lepidopteris ottonis from sedimentary successions in Skåne (Scania), southern Sweden, provided the possibility of pCO2 reconstruction at the onset of the ETE. Here, we tested the intra- and interleaf variability of L. ottonis SI, and estimated the pCO2 during the onset of the ETE. Our findings confirm L. ottonis as a valid proxy for palaeo-pCO2, also when using smaller leaf fragments. Importantly, the statistical analyses showed that the SI values of abaxial and adaxial cuticles are significantly different, providing a tool to distinguish between the two sides and select cuticles for analysis. Reconstructed pCO2 increased from ~1000 pre ETE to ~1300 ppm at the onset of the event, a significant increase of ~30% over a relatively short time period. The pCO2 recorded here is similar to previously published estimates, and strongly supports the observed pattern of elevated pCO2 at the onset of the ETE.
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| 6. |
- Cavalcante, Larissa Lopes, et al.
(författare)
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Analysis of fossil plant cuticles using vibrational spectroscopy: A new preparation protocol
- 2023
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Ingår i: Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. - : Elsevier. - 0034-6667 .- 1879-0615. ; 316
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Analyses for organic “fingerprints” on fossilized plant cuticles and pollen hold valuable chemotaxonomic and palaeoclimatic information, and are thus becoming more utilized by palaeobotanists. Plant cuticle and pollen composition are generally analyzed after standard treatments with several chemical reagents for mineral and mesophyll removal. However, the potential alterations on the fossil composition caused by the different cleaning reagents used are still poorly understood. We tested the effects of commonly used palaeobotanical processing methods on the spectra of fossilized cuticles from successions of Late Triassic to Early Jurassic age, including the gymnosperms Lepidopteris, Ginkgoites, Podozamites, Ptilozamites and Pterophyllum astartense. Our study shows that standard chemical processing caused chemical alterations that might lead to erroneous interpretation of the infrared (IR) spectra. The difference in pH caused by HCl induces changes in the proportion between the two bands at ~1720 and 1600 cm 1 (carboxylate and C-C stretch of aromatic compounds) indicating that the band at ~1610 cm 1 at least partially corresponds to carboxylate instead of C-C stretch of aromatic compounds. Interestingly, despite being used in high concentration, HF did not cause changes in the chemical composition of the cuticles. The most alarming changes were caused by the use of Schulze ’s solution, which resulted in the addition of both NO2 and (O)NO2 compounds in the cuticle. Consequently, a new protocol using H2CO3, HF, and H2O2 for preparing fossil plant cuticles aimed for chemical analyses is proposed, which provides an effective substitute to the conventional methods. In particular, a less aggressive and more sustainable alternative to Schulze’s solution is shown to be hydrogen peroxide, which causes only minor alteration of the fossil cuticle ’s chemical composition. Future work should carefully follow protocols, having in mind the impacts of different solutions used to treat leaves and other palaeobotanical material such as palynomorphs with aims to enable the direct comparison of spectra obtained in different studies.
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| 7. |
- Danise, Silvia, et al.
(författare)
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Land-sea ecological connectivity during a Jurassic warming event
- 2022
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Ingår i: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0012-821X .- 1385-013X. ; 578, s. 117290-117290
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Knowledge on how climate change affects land-sea ecological connectivity in deep time is scarce. To fill this knowledge gap we have assembled a unique dataset through a Jurassic (early Toarcian) warming event that includes quantitative abundance data from pollen and spores, organic-walled marine plankton and benthic macro-invertebrates, in association with geochemical data derived from the same sampled horizons, from the Cleveland Basin, UK. Using this dataset we: (i) reconstruct the timing of degradation and recovery of land-plants, marine primary producers and benthic fauna in response to this event, and (ii) test for connectivity between changes in land and marine ecosystems. We find a discrepancy between the timing of the response of land-plant and marine ecosystems to the event. Land-plants were the first to be affected by initial warming, but also recovered relatively quickly after the peak of warmth to return to pre-event levels of richness and diversity. Plankton and benthic fauna instead experienced a delayed response to initial warming, but as warming peaked, they suffered a rapid and extreme turnover. Recovery in the shelf sea was also delayed (particularly for the benthos) compared to the vegetation. Ecological connectivity analyses show a strong link between changes in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The loss of large trees on land contributed to changes in marine plankton, from dinoflagellate-to prasinophyte algal-dominated communities, by enhancing erosion, runoff and nutrient-supply into shallow seas. Eutrophication and changes in primary productivity contributed to the decrease of dissolved oxygen in the water column and in bottom waters, which in turn affected benthic communities. Such cause-effect mechanisms observed in the Cleveland Basin are likely to have occurred in other basins of the Boreal Realm, and in part also in basins of the Sub-Boreal and Tethyan realms. Although palaeolatitudinal and palaeoceanographic gradients may have controlled local and regional changes in land-plants and marine ecosystems during the Early Jurassic, the main climatic and environmental changes linked to rapid global warming, enhanced weathering and high primary productivity, are shared among all the examined realms.
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| 8. |
- Peng, Jungang, et al.
(författare)
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A review of the Triassic pollen Staurosaccites: systematic and phytogeographical implications
- 2021
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Ingår i: Grana. - London : Taylor & Francis. - 0017-3134 .- 1651-2049. ; 60:6, s. 407-423
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Staurosaccites, a highly distinctive pollen genus, ranges from the late Anisian (Pelsonian; Middle Triassic) to the Norian, at low tomid latitudes, globally. Here we review the systematic taxonomy and spatial and temporal ranges of Staurosaccites. We provide anemendation to S. tharipatharensis, synonymise S. minutus with the type species S. quadrifidus, and retain the species S. quadrifidus, S. tharipatharensis, S. densus and S. marginalis. Following comparison with morphologically similar pollen and environmental reconstructions of the habitat of its parent plant, we hypothesise that Staurosaccites was produced by a conifer that was likely adapted to warm and humid conditions. Based on occurrences of diagnostic taxa for the Onslow and Ipswich microfloral provinces in the Southern Hemisphere (Staurosaccites, Camerosporites, Enzonalasporites, Infernopollenites and Ovalipollis), we show that these palynofloras were established in the Middle Triassic. Our findings further suggest that, based on the presence of diagnostic taxa in western Laurasia and their absence in eastern Laurasia, western and eastern Laurasia represent different palynofloral provinces in the Middle Triassic.
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| 9. |
- Peng, Jungang, et al.
(författare)
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Megaspores from the Late Triassic‒Early Jurassic of southern Scandinavia: taxonomic and biostratigraphic implications
- 2021
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Ingår i: GFF. - London : Taylor & Francis. - 1103-5897 .- 2000-0863. ; 143:2-3, s. 202-228
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Here we investigate megaspores from 10 Triassic‒Jurassic localities of southern Sweden and Bornholm, Denmark, based on collections housed in the Swedish Museum of Natural History. We identify and describe 19 megaspore taxa belonging to three stratigraphically constrained assemblages, representing the Rhaetian, Hettangian and Pliensbachian, respectively. Megaspores are abundant and diverse (12 taxa) in the Rhaetian assemblage. Diversity markedly decreases across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary (TJB), with species richness reducing from 12 to two taxa. The Hettangian assemblage is well-preserved but depauperate, and is overwhelmingly dominated by Nathorstisporites hopliticus. A subsequent recovery of lycopsid diversity followed, recorded by an increase in richness to six taxa in the Pliensbachian assemblage. The disappearance of the hygrophilous and diverse heterosporous lycophyte communities acrossthe TJB, suggests a shift to drier conditions in the earliest Jurassic. This is supported by lithological changes from coal-forming environments in the Rhaetian to sandstone-dominated fluvial-estuarine facies in the Hettangian. Throughout this study, we analysed the megaspores using fluorescence microscopy, which revealed detailed morphological features on specimens that were otherwise opaque under visible light. This non-destructive technique is particularly useful for examining opaque megaspores embedded in permanent mounting media, such as epoxy resin, and may provide new insights into historical megaspore collections elsewhere.
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| 10. |
- Steinthorsdottir, Margret, et al.
(författare)
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Moderate levels of Eocene pCO2 indicated by Southern Hemisphere fossil plant stomata
- 2019
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Ingår i: Geology. - Boulder, Colorado. - 0091-7613 .- 1943-2682. ; 47, s. 914-918
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reducing the uncertainty in predictions of future climate change is one of today’s greatest scientific challenges, with many significant problems unsolved, including the relationship between pCO2 and global temperature. To better constrain these forecasts, it is meaningful to study past time intervals of global warmth, such as the Eocene (56.0–33.9 Ma), serving as climatic analogues for the future. Here we reconstructed pCO2 using the stomatal densities of a large fossil Lauraceae (laurel) leaf database from ten sites across the Eocene of Australia and New Zealand. We show that mostly moderate pCO2 levels of ∼450–600 ppm prevailed throughout the Eocene, levels that are considerably lower than the pCO2 forcing currently needed to recreate Eocene temperatures in climate models. Our data record significantly lower pCO2 than inferred from marine isotopes, but concur with previously published Northern Hemisphere Eocene stomatal proxy pCO2. We argue that the now globally consistent stomatal proxy pCO2 record for the Eocene is robust and that climate sensitivity was elevated and/or that additional climate forcings operated more powerfully than previously assumed.
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