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We compiled the Cretaceous sporopollen fossil data from 19 locations of six provinces in South China, reviewed the affinities of spore and pollen genera by examining and assessing these fossils with published data, and associated them with the sporomorph eco-groups (SEG) model and vegetation type. Seven palynofloral assemblages (PA1–PA7) were identified. PA1 (Berriasian–Valanginian) and PA2 (Hauterivian–Barremian) mainly include Cheirolepidiaceae (∼60–80%), Cycadophytes (∼10%), and Lygodiaceae (∼10%), indicating warm and dry climate; PA3 (Aptian) and PA4 (Albian) represent warm, semi-arid to semi-humid climate with vegetation composed of Araucariaceae (∼10%), Cheirolepidiaceae (∼40–60%), Cycadophytes (∼10%), and Lygodiaceae (∼10%); PA5 (Cenomanian–Turonian) and PA6 (Coniacian–Santonian) imply a hot, semi-humid to humid climate with the vegetation taxa of Lygodiaceae (∼20–40%), Cheirolepidiaceae (∼20–50%), Ephedraceae (∼5–8%), and Araucariaceae (∼10%); and PA7 (Campanian–Maastrichtian) indicates a relatively cool and dry climate evidenced by the vegetation composition of Cheirolepidiaceae (∼30–40%), Pteridaceae (∼10%), Ephedraceae (∼5–8%), and Ulmaceae (∼30–40%). Our SEG analysis reveals three climatic evolution phases: the Berriasian–Barremian warm-dry phase, the Aptian–Santonian warm-wet phase, and the Campanian–Maastrichtian cool-dry phase. The climatic variation pattern is compatible with that indicated by fossil stomatal pCO2 values and the pCO2 simulation of GEOCARB II and III models, providing independent climatic proxies of the region and contributing to better understanding of the global Cretaceous climatic changes.

Two silicified fossil woods from outcrops of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous) in Los Hornos Hill, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina are described. Based on their anatomical characteristics, both specimens were assigned to a new species of the fossil genus Brachyoxylon Hollick and Jeffrey, B. patagonicum sp. nov. They are characterized by having distinct growth ring boundaries, absence of axial parenchyma, uniseriate rays, mixed and uniseriate intertracheary radial pitting, and araucarioid cross-fields with 1–8 circular half-bordered pits per cross-field. In turn, one specimen has three rows of axial traumatic resin canals parallel to the growth rings were identified close to the middle of the growth rings or close to the latewood. Approximately 45% of Brachyoxylon species present traumatic resin canals, which suggests that they are a common feature of this fossil genus. Alternatively, the specimen with the canals shows biological remains (hyphae) and wood fungal degradation patterns, which may be thought as some of those of possible organisms contributing to the formation of the resin canals. This record provides fresh evidence attesting to the abundance and widespread distribution of Cheirolepidiaceae in the Cretaceous of Patagonia. Fil: Rombola, Cosme Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina Fil: Greppi, Carlos Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina Fil: Pujana, Roberto Roman. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina Fil: García Massini, Juan Leandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; Argentina Fil: Bellosi, Eduardo Sergio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina Fil: Marenssi, Sergio Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; Argentina

Fossil resins and ostracods are well-known in Brazilian Cretaceous sedimentary Basins, especially in the Araripe Basin. The present work reports several ostracods encapsulated in an amber sample recovered from limestones of the Crato Formation (Araripe Basin, Northeastern Brazil). The amber was analyzed under optical microscopy revealing several ostracod specimens. Considering the general morphology, the recovered specimens were attributed to the freshwater to brackish genera Pattersoncypris Bate, 1972 and Damonella Anderson, 1966 in the superfamily Cypridoidea. Additionally, palynological analyses of the limestone rock around the amber demonstrate the predominance of pollen grains of the Classopolis genus, produced by conifers of Cheirolepidiaceae family, suggesting this family as possible botanical source of the fossil resin. The proposed interpretation for this preservation is as follow: (i) the lake level variations transported the ostracods to the margin; (ii) drops of resin exuded from the trunk fell to the margin on the dead ostracods; (iii) the exposed resin underwent polymerization preserving the ostracods; (iv) and finally, the amber was preserved in the laminated calcareous deposit. The record described here provides a detailed study of organisms fossilized in Brazilian amber as well as it reports the oldest record of ostracods enclosed in fossil resins (Aptian age).

We report the first Hettangian theropod tracksite (~200 Ma) yielding a rich accumulation of plant remains from the Bleymard Strait (southern France). It constitutes an excellent opportunity to reconstruct lowermost Jurassic ecosystems hosting dinosaurs and which are still poorly documented in this area. Two morphotypes of tridactyl tracks are distinguished. They share similarities with Grallator and Kayentapus. Plant-bearing beds yield abundant leafy axes (Pagiophyllum peregrinum), male cones (Classostrobus sp.), wood (Brachyoxylon sp.) and pollen of conifers (Classopollis classoides). Sedimentological, petrological and mineralogical analyses demonstrated that, in the Dolomitic Formation from Bleymard, the palaeoenvironment progressively evolved from (1) a shoreface to a foreshore domain; to (2) a shallow environment that is restricted or occasionally open to the sea; then to (3) an intertidal to supratidal zone. The Hettangian theropod ecosystem of the Bleymard Strait was composed of tidal flats that were periodically emerged and bordered paralic environments inhabited by a littoral conifer-dominated forest in which Cheirolepidiaceae were the main component. The paucity of the palaeobotanical assemblage, as well as the xerophytic characteristics of Pagiophyllum, show that flora from Bleymard was adapted to withstand intense sunlight and coastal environments exposed to desiccant conditions coupled with salty sea spray, and dry conditions. These features are those of a conifer-dominated flora under a tropical to subtropical climate. The flora as well as the clay mineral analyses suggest contrasting seasons (cyclically dry then humid). This study supports that theropods were abundant and particularly adapted to this type of littoral environment bordering Cheirolepidiaceae-dominated forests.

We describe a new terrestrial, plant-rich Fossil-Lagerstatte discovered at Magliano Vetere (Campania region, S Italy) in the middle Cenomanian of the Apennine Carbonate Platform. The deposit, 1.42 m thick, is made up of a thin-bedded interlayering of evenly laminated dolomicrites, lenticular dolorudites and carbonaceous seams, which contain well-preserved remains of terrestrial plants yielding cuticles and minor fishes. This study focuses on plant remains, to provide systematical, taphonomical and palaeoenvironmental considerations; nevertheless, a preliminary analysis carried out on fossil fishes has led to the identification of pycnodontids and teleosts. The Fossil-Lagerstatte retains sterile foliage-bearing shoots with epidermal features belonging to the genus Frenelopsis of the extinct conifer family of the Cheirolepidiaceae. Plant remains possibly represent a stable biotope, as floral composition displays no variation along the deposit. Nevertheless, episodes of harsh environmental conditions occurred as demonstrated by a fish mortality event and Ca-sulphate evaporite precipitation. Taphonomical considerations and sedimentological evidence from the encasing sediments suggest a parautochthonous deposition of fossil plants in a supratidal/intertidal mudflat, including a salt-marsh that was characterised by a restricted sea-water circulation, deposition of primary dolomite and episodical wildfires. The presence of xeromorphic features in Frenelopsis from Magliano Vetere could represent an adaptation to haline environment which was subjected to microtephra supply from a distant, orogenic volcanism. The facies evolution of the studied Fossil-Lagerstatte records a rapid regressive and a following slower transgressive trend, and constitutes the lowermost portion of a ~20 m thick interval characterised by several dolomitic plattenkalk, up to 1.50 m thick, which are separated by cyclically stacked peritidal limestones. We infer that: 1) the ~20 m thick, Plattenkalk-bearing interval represents a Sequence Boundary Zone in the stratigraphical record of the middle Cenomanian ApCP; 2) Frenelopsis thrived at the verge of an arid–semiarid climatical phase during a major pulse of relative sea-level fall.

The Punta del Barco Formation is the uppermost unit of the upper Aptian continental deposits of the Baquero Group, cropping out in Argentinian Patagonia. These units have yielded highly diverse and abundant megafloras that contain some of the oldest evidence of angiosperms in the region. The parent vegetation grew in lacustrine to fluvial environments, with progressively increased volcanic activity that certainly affected the dynamics of the palaeocommunities. In this work, new fossil woods from the Punta del Barco Formation are described and referred to Agathoxylon Hartig 1848 and Protocupressinoxylon Eckhold 1923, probably allied to Araucariaceae and Cheirolepidiaceae respectively, and constituting two of the three conifer families already reported from the unit. Rootlets traversing some of the studied specimens are interpreted as evidence of seedlings growing in fragments of wood acting as nurse-logs, an ecological strategy recorded at least since the late Palaeozoic, in this particular case probably reflecting a response to the volcanic activity recorded in the unit. Two styles of fungal activity are identified in the fossil woods: Group 1 comprises microsclerotia and associate hyphae, found in close association with rootlets, interpreted as dark septate endophytes; and Group 2, consisting of hyphae traversing wood tracheids, along with evidence of degraded wood, interpreted as wood decay fungal activity.

Several mesofossil floras discovered in the Early Cretaceous rocks from the Lusitanian Basin of western Portugal comprise numerous well-preserved conifer remains. Here we report the occurrence of four conifer types in the mesofossil flora from the Catefi ca locality, about 4 km south of Torres Vedras in the Estremadura region on the western Portuguese Basin. The specimens were recovered from rocks belonging to the Almargem Formation, interpreted to be of late Aptian - early Albian age. It includes three Cheirolepidiaceae genera Frenelopsis SCHENK, Pseudofrenelopsis NATH. and Watsoniocladus V.SRINIV., and one conifer twig of Pagiophyllum-type. These conifers, which co-occurred in the same depositional bed with a well-diversified early angiosperm assemblage including flowers, seeds, fruits and dispersed stamens with pollen in situ, provide new insights into Early Cretaceous palaeoecology.

Pseudofrenelopsis is a genus of the conifer family Cheirolepidiaceae, whose temporal distribution was restricted to the Early Cretaceous. Its set of features correspond to adaptive responses to rather unstable and stressful environmental conditions, such as aridity and/or groundwater salinity. In this paper, we describe Pseudofrenelopsis salesii sp. nov. from the Albian Romualdo Formation of the Araripe Basin, northeastern Brazil, based on anatomical analyses of the stem and leaf epidermis of a new specimen using scanning electron microscopy. The unique combination of features of P. salesii sp. nov., such as internodes of uniform sizes, completely sunken stomatal apparatuses, non-papillate subsidiary cells, and multi-layered hypodermis, distinguishes it from the remaining species of the genus, including Pseudofrenelopsis capillata from the late Aptian Crato Formation of the same basin. The new fossil species represents both an additional record of Cheirolepidiaceae in the Araripe Basin and the first representative of Pseudofrenelopsis formally described from the Romualdo Formation.

The extinct conifer family Cheirolepidiaceae, especially Pseudofrenelopsis, is commonly used to reconstruct the atmospheric palaeo-CO2 concentration (pCO2) during the Cretaceous period. In recent years, many Pseudofrenelopsis specimens have been collected from the uppermost stratum of the Naijiahe Formation in the Liupanshan Basin, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Northwest China. The stomatal parameters, such as stomatal density, stomatal index, stomatal pore length, and stomatal pore depth, and the stable carbon isotope composition of the present Pseudofrenelopsis were analyzed. The palaeo-CO2 levels of the Liupanshan Basin during the late Early Cretaceous (late Albian) were reconstructed using stomatal ratio (SR) and mechanistic model approaches. The SR method yielded a semi-quantitative pCO2 estimate of 620 ppmv on the basis of the Recent standardization and 1030 ppmv on the basis of the Carboniferous standardization, which show similarities with other SR-based and geochemical-based reconstructions for the late Early Cretaceous. The pCO2 was about 670 ppmv on the basis of mechanistic model method, similar to the estimated pCO2 values recovered by the SR method corrected with the Recent standardization. Based on comparative studies of previously published pCO2 results of the Early Cretaceous, pCO2 levels varied during the Early Cretaceous, and pCO2 was relatively stable during the late Early Cretaceous. Furthermore, environmental conditions of the Liupanshan Basin during the late Early Cretaceous were studied. The stable carbon isotope composition of Pseudofrenelopsis leaves ranged from −21.5‰ to −24.3‰, with an average of −22.8‰, indicating an arid/semi-arid and high-evaporation climate during the late Early Cretaceous in the Liupanshan Basin. These environmental conditions were also supported by palynological, lithological, and geochemical evidence.

Lower Cretaceous (Barremian to Albian) fossil plant assemblages are preserved in sediments of the Otway Group, Otway Basin, and contemporaneous Strzelecki Group, Gippsland Basin, southeastern Australia. Detailed lithofacies and biofacies analyses of terrestrial strata within the upper Eumeralla Formation (Albian), Otway Group, allow fine-scale interpretation of braided fluvial and paludal depositional environments throughout the succession. The previously described flora is re-assessed in light of changes in depositional style and plant communities to describe six Albian biofacies. Forests in the highlands are dominated by Araucariaceae conifers, which turn over to Podocarpaceae and Cheirolepidiaceae forests on the dry, raised areas in the lowlands. Ferns and angiosperms inhabit the moist floodplains and water ferns and lycophytes dwell in the ox-bow lakes. Significant changes occur between floral communities characteristic of riparian, levee and floodbasin settings through the Early Cretaceous. Albian floras are characterized by the dominance of broad-leafed araucarian conifers, an understory of diverse ferns and a dearth of seedferns and angiosperms. There is a notable absence of macrofossil ginkgoaleans in the Eumeralla Formation, although they reappear in younger (Turonian) deposits in southeastern Australia, but angiosperms are extremely scarce as macrofossils compared to the diversity recently recorded in the pollen record. Abundant charcoal demonstrates that fire continued to be a significant environmental factor at high latitudes during the middle to late Albian. The discovery of dinoflagellate species supports an earlier marine incursion and increased coastal environments, probably inhabited by cheirolepids, across the Otway Basin. Palaeontological, palynological and sedimentological data has provided a synthesis of the region's warm, high-latitude, palaeoclimatic setting in the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous when compared to the cooler Barremian to Aptian.

Estimates of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration levels were made for three time intervals of the Early Cretaceous using the stomatal indices of an extinct fossil conifer, Pseudofrenelopsis papillosa (Chow et Tsao) Cao ex Zhou. The fossil materials were collected from the upper Hauterivian, upper Aptian, and upper Albian of the Lower Cretaceous in the Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces of southeast China. The estimated paleo-CO2 (pCO(2)) was 600-1300 ppmv from the late Hauterivian to the late Albian based on the ratio between the stomatal indices of fossil species P. papillosa and those of four modern nearest living equivalent (NLE) species, using Carboniferous and recent standardizations. The results showed a low value of 595-957 ppmv in the late Hauterivian, and a high value of 805-1292 ppmv in the late Albian, which was only slightly higher than the value of 753-1210 ppmv in the late Aptian. Our calculated CO2 values were consistent with GECORB II, and similar to the previously published estimates of CO2 based on stomata! indices or carbon isotopes. Thus, it could be inferred that the stomatal index of P. papillosa is a potential indicator for estimating the pCO(2) content during the geological history. Furthermore, the global mean land surface temperature (GMLST) was estimated based on the CO2 data. This showed that the change ratios of GMLST increased from 2.8 to 4.7 degrees C in the late Hauterivian to 3.6-5.5 degrees C in the late Albian and 3.8-5.7 degrees C in the late Aptian. It appears that the temperature gradually increased from the early to late Early Cretaceous. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new cheirolepidiaceous conifer Watsoniocladus cunhae sp. nov. J.Kvacek et M.M.Mendes is described from the Early Cretaceous of Catefica in the Lusitanian Basin, Estremadura region, western Portugal. The new species Watsoniocladus cunhae has been established based on sterile twigs showing decussately arranged s-shaped leaves equipped with stomata surrounded by papillae and arranged in short rows. The new species is compared to all already-published species assigned to Watsoniocladus. Additionally, based on the newly observed morphological features in the Portuguese material (cuticle characters), we transfer two species from Cupressinocladus (Cupressaceae) to Watsoniocladus (Cheirolepidiaceae): Watsoniocladus itieri (Saporta) comb. nov. from the late Kimmeridgian of southern Jura (France) and Watsoniocladus crassirameus (Zheng Y.Cao) comb. nov. from the Early Cretaceous of China.

The presence of the fern Weichselia in a restricted sedimentary interval of a drilling core in the Parnaiba Basin (Brazil) was used as a lead for paleoenvironmental interpretation integrating paleobotanical, palynofacies, palynological, organic petrography and clay mineralogy analyses. The fern paleobiogeography was amplified and its association with terrestrial bryophyte gametophytes (Muscites) indicated depositional conditions corresponding to marginal areas of freshwater bodies subjected to frequent flooding under the general fluvial-deltaic conditions so far accepted for the intermediary portion of the Codo Formation. The high dominance of non-opaque phytoclasts and very scarce autochthonous non-marine palynomorphs pointed to a shallow water body linked to marginal areas of fluvial systems in the river outlets, channel margins in estuarine systems, and/or shallow floodplain lakes connected/open to fluvial canals. The very scarce marine palynomorphs (dinoflagellate cysts) suggest a limited influence from unstable environments on coastal margins or estuarine canals. The terrestrial vegetation surrounding the depositional setting, deciphered by palynological analysis, reflected distinct environmental conditions prevailing simultaneously in 1) humid areas dominated by fern communities, and 2) dry-xerophytic areas dominated mainly by Araucariaceae and Cheirolepidiaceae gymnosperms, both as components of a wider Aptian paleoenvironment within the periequatorial latitudes in South America. The results were supported by clay mineralogy that showed abundance of detrital kaolinite over montmorillonite and suggest the dominance of a climatic humidification process and a less expressive semiarid climate in a regional context.

Three levels of an independently dated Early Cretaceous succession in the northern Negev have yielded palynofloras of Albian age. The Afropollis jardinus-Tricolpites-Trisectoris-Qatanipollis Assemblage is from the lowermost level, a shale bed of about 60 cm thickness intercalated in the predominantly fluvial sandstones of the upper Hatira Formation at Makhtesh Qatan (IQ1 locality). The IQ1 palynoflora is dominated by psilatrilete spores, which are interpreted as influx from a fern bog. Altogether 46 formal and informal taxa were identified among the pteridophytic and bryophytic spores of this locality. The gymnosperms yielded 33 taxa including the new species Partitisporites krassilovii. The angiosperms are represented by 36 mono- and triaperturate species including Afropollis jardinus, the new species Foveomonocolpites ravnii and representatives of the genera Foveotricolpites, Qatanipollis, Rousea, Tricolpites and Trisectoris. A middle Albian age of this assemblage is supported by correlation of the IQ1 level with a marine intercalation, the Uza marine tongue of middle-late Albian age and by the stratigraphic position of the IQ1 bed below the ammonite-dated late Albian lower Hazera (Hevyon) Formation at Makhtesh Ramon. Immediately above the dark grey palyniferous IQ1 shale, grey or light grey shales occur, which are either barren or yielded the remains of a weathered, residual palynoflora with freshwater algae such as Botryococcus and Ovoidites. The upper Hatira Formation discussed so far is overlain by the marine carbonates of the Hazera (= Hevyon Formation). The lower part of this formation yielded at Makhtesh Ramon a late Albian ammonite (Hypengonoceras, Lewy), which is associated with an elaterate pollen-bearing assemblage corresponding largely to the Afropollis jardinus–Elaterosporites klaszii Assemblage recovered by the author from the same formation and locality. In contrast to the spore-dominated IQ1 Assemblage, the late Albian palynoflora from Makhtesh Ramon (Miz7/6) is dominated by Classopollis, followed by psilatrilete spores and dinoflagellate cysts. The IQ1 palynoflora reflects high humidity and influence from a vegetation rich in ferns, while the abundance of Classopollis (Cheirolepidiaceae) in the late Albian sample may suggest a shift towards drier conditions.

The flora preserved in upper Aptian rocks of South America and Africa is typical of warm climate conditions and commonly associated with semi-arid to arid climate. Warmth-loving conifers of the family Cheirolepidiaceae and their pollen Classopollis are recorded in upper Aptian rocks in most of the South Atlantic margin basins. However, an increase in indicators of humid conditions (e.g., ferns) is recorded in most sedimentary basins of Brazil. The method of indicator species analysis (IndVal) was applied as a tool for reconstructing the vegetation during the late Aptian. The IndVal index expresses which taxa are strongly associated with particular groups of samples. The vegetation reflects climate changes, and the IndVal indices illustrate how the taxa interacted through time and reveal patterns in the changing composition of the vegetation. The material studied derives from two well sections drilled through the Riachuelo Formation in the Sergipe Basin, GTP-17-SE (Angico Member, 70 samples) and GTP-24-SE (Taquari Member, 108 samples). The indicator species are strongly associated with particular stratigraphic intervals. IndVal indices for the Angico section indicate seven taxa associated with four intervals, viz. Classopollis classoides (Interval AS-1); Callialasporites segmentatus and Cicatricosisporites avnimelechi (Interval AS-2); Verrucosisporites spp. and Cicatricosisporites microstriatus (Interval AS-3); Araucariacites australis and Cyathidites spp. (Interval AS-4). Values for the Taquari section indicate nine taxa associated with four intervals, viz. Classopollis classoides (Interval TS-1); Uesuguipollenites callosus, Callialasporites segmentatus Bennettitaepollenites regaliae, Cyathidites spp., Cicatricosisporites spp. and Araucariacites australis (Interval TS-2); Retitriletes spp. (Interval TS-3); Araucariacites australis and Verrucosisporites spp. (Interval TS-4). Two phases, dry and wet, are recognized in both sections. The dry phase is characterized by high to very high abundance of Classopollis classoides. A conspicuous change in vegetation is recorded, with an increase in ferns and upland flora, in particular Araucariacites australis. A. australis is the second most abundant terrestrial palynomorph. In the late Aptian of South America and Africa Araucariacites is generally associated with an upland flora and warm and humid climates, which may explain its association with fern spores. The replacement of Classopollis by Araucariacites and ferns reflects a change from a dry to wet phase. The change in flora may be the result of dislocation of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and a relative sea-level rise.

Micofloral study of Lameta sediments and associated sauropod coprolites in the Nand-Dongargaon basin in Maharashtra was conducted to understand the diet and habitat of sauropods. The study revealed the presence of pollen, spores, algal and fungal remains, well-preserved cuticles of Poaceae, and testate amoebae. Vegetation during Lameta included tall arboreal taxa, such as conifers (Podocarpus and Araucaria), Cycads (Cycas), Euphorian and Barringtonia and herbs and shrubs, such as Cheirolepidiaceae (Classopollis), Arecaceae (Palmaepollenites), Poaceae (Graminidites), Asteraceae (Compositoipollenites), Caryophyllaceae (Cretacaeiporites and Periporopollenites), and Acanthaceae (Multiareolites). Data suggest that the sauropods ate soft tissues of angiosperms and gymnosperms. The intake of testate amoeba, algal remains, sponge spicules, and diatoms might be through water intake.

The Norian is the longest time interval of the Triassic but almost devoid of plant fossils in Europe. The Seefeld flora thus gives important insights in the composition of the flora of this time interval. It is composed mainly of vegetative shoots and reproductive organs of conifers (Brachyphyllum,Pagiophyllum,Elatocladus,Voltzia, Cheirolepidiaceae), but also includes a few remains putatively assigned to the cycadophytes (Taeniopteris) and lycophytes (Lepacyclotes). Plant fossils of the Seefeld flora occur mainly in organic-rich calcareous laminites of the middle Norian Seefeld Formation of the Northern Calcareous Alps (Tyrol, Austria). The conifer-dominated and fragmentary nature of the plant remains, generally protected by thick cuticles, was interpreted as due to the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions the plants lived in arid and hot climate, probably growing on small islands. The plant remains were subject to transport from islands to deeper marine sediments of an intraplatform basin before deposition.

We studied fossil woods from Matasiete and Castillo Formations (Aptian–Albian) for the first time. The woods, preserved in fluvial channel and floodplain deposits, have anatomy consistent with the fossil-genus Brachyoxylon Hollick and Jeffrey. Specimens from Castillo Formation have poorly distinct growth ring boundaries, exclusively uniseriate with a mixed arrangement intertracheary radial pitting, araucarioid cross-field pitting with 3–8 half-bordered pits with oblique aperture, and uniseriate rays. Specimens from Matasiete Formation are poorly preserved and only one could be assigned to Brachyoxylon with reservations. Brachyoxylon is a fossil-genus with a worldwide distribution and related to the fossil family Cheirolepidiaceae, a group of conifers that developed in various environments. However, our study suggests that this family would have prospered in locally semi-arid conditions.

Coprolites from the Early Cretaceous vertebrate bone-bed at Ariño in Teruel, Spain, were analyzed geochemically and palynologically. They contain various inclusions, such as small bone fragments, abundant plant remains, pollen, and spores. We attribute the coprolites to carnivorous dinosaurs based partly on their morphology together with the presence of bone fragments, and a high content of calcium phosphate (hydroxylapatite) with calcite. Well-preserved pollen and spore assemblages were identified in all coprolite samples and a slightly poorer assemblage was obtained from the adjacent sediments, both indicating an Early Cretaceous (Albian) age. This shows that the coprolites are in situ and also confirms previous age determinations for the host strata. The depositional environment is interpreted as a continental wetland based on the palynoflora, which includes several hydrophilic taxa, together with sparse occurrences of fresh-water algae, such as Ovoidites, and the absence of marine palynomorphs. Although the coprolites of Ariño samples generally are dominated by pollen produced by Taxodiaceae (cypress) and Cheirolepidiaceae (a family of extinct conifers), the sediment samples have a slightly higher relative abundance of fern spores. The distribution of major organic components varies between the coprolite and sediment samples, which is manifest by the considerably higher charcoal percentage within the coprolites. The high quantities of charcoal might be explained by a ground-dwelling species, feeding on smaller vertebrates that complemented its diet with plant material from a paleoenvironment were wild fires were a part of the ecosystem. The state of preservation of the spores and pollen is also more detailed in the coprolites, suggesting that encasement in calcium phosphate may inhibit degradation of sporopollenin., The Departamento de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, Gobierno de Aragón (exp. 201/2010, 201/10-2011, 201/10-11-2012, 201/10-11-12-13-2014), the DINOTUR CGL2013-41295-P project (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad), Grupo de Investigación Consolidado E-62 FOCONTUR (Departamento de Innovación, Investigación y Universidad, Gobierno de Aragón and Fondo Social Europeo), Instituto Aragonés de Fomento, Fundación SAMCA, Instituto de Estudios Turolenses and Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis.

The stable carbon isotope compositions and the stomatal parameters (stomatal density and stomatal index) of four Cheirolepidiaceae species, Brachyphyllum ningxiaensis, Brachyphyllum obtusum, Pseudofrenelopsis dalatzensis and Pseudofrenelopsis gansuensis, were analyzed to recover the late Early Cretaceous atmospheric CO2 levels. The fossil plants were collected from 5 consecutive sedimentary members of the uppermost Zhonggou Formation. Based on the stomatal data, the estimated palaeo-atmospheric CO2 concentrations in the Jiuquan Basin during the late Early Cretaceous were 1060–882 ppmv based on the carboniferous standardization and were 641–531 ppmv based on the recent standardization; the pCO2 values present at first a decreasing and then an increasing trend within the sedimentary time of the five members. The δ13Cp values based on the 21 Brachyphyllum specimens showed a large variation, which ranged from −20.98‰ to −25.69‰, with an average of −24.2‰. The values also identified a C3 photosynthetic pathway for the Brachyphyllum specimens. The predicted δ13Ca values varied from −2.1‰ to −6.38‰, with an average of −5.03‰. These two proxies were irregular within the different members; therefore, the correlation with the change in atmospheric CO2 concentrations was not significant. Moreover, a water-stressed environment was proposed based on the δ13C values of the present fossil plants, a proposal that was also supported by the previous palaeobotanical, palynological and stratigraphical evidence. In the present study, an inconsistent relationship between the stable carbon isotope and the stomata values was apparent, which most likely indicated that the stomata numbers of the plant were more sensitive to the variation in the concentration of the atmospheric CO2, whereas the δ13C values were sensitive to the moisture conditions.

A Middle-Late Jurassic fossil plant assemblage is described from the Bahia Laura Complex at the Laguna Flecha Negra locality, Santa Cruz Province. The fossil assemblage is autochthonous, preserved in volcaniclastic sediments in the fringes of a geothermal landscape. Taxonomic study of the palaeoflora revealed 17 taxa. The recognized species have been previously described in Jurassic localities of Gondwana and illustrate the diversity of plant communities that lived in a volcanic setting. The dominant elements of this flora are microphyllous conifers of the families Araucariaceae and Cheirolepidiaceae. Fossil leaves of Cycadeoidales co-dominate the community. There is a low diversity and abundance of ferns. Composition of the plant community is compared to coetaneous floras of the Bahia Laura Complex to analyse geographical variations in the diversity of Middle-Late Jurassic assemblages of Santa Cruz Province, and a relative uniformity is recognized. Forest landscapes were dominated by conifer trees, with cycadeoids as small trees or shrubs. The herbaceous understory was dominated by fern communities with low species diversity; Equisetales and Isoetales appeared as subordinated elements. Microphyllous conifers and cycadophytes, as well as a low diversity of ferns, are indicative of relatively dry weather.

An amber (UFRPE 5037), from the black shales of the Ipubi Formation, Araripe Basin (Brazil), has been analyzed to understand its organic geochemical characteristics and possible botanical source using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The analyses carried out detected monoterpenes, hydrocarbonic sesquiterpenes, and aliphatic diterpanes like abietanes and norabietanes, as well as aromatic diterpanes such as simonellite, norsimonellite, retene, hinokiol, ferruginol and dehydroabietic acid. Such a combination of components is mainly known to have originated from gymnosperms. The individual identification of diterpenoids allowed the suggestion of Cheirolepidiaceae or Podocarpaceae families as possible amber producers, pointing to a flora similar to the underlying Crato Formation. Therefore, UFRPE 5037 consists on the first amber record in the Ipubi Formation, allowing the acquisition of important information regarding the botanical sources associated to new Brazilian amber occurrence described here.

International audience; A new Cenomanian amber- and plant-bearing deposit has been discovered at Neau, in the Mayenne department (France). The Cenomanian fossiliferous lignites are located in karst filling in a substratum of Cambrian limestones. The amber corresponds mainly to tiny millimetric grains, devoid of arthropod inclusions, but rich in microorganisms, especially the sheated bacteria Leptotrichites resinatus , and containing pollen grains ( Classopollis ) and wood fibers (Araucariacae or Cheirolepidiaceae). The lignites provide abundant conifer and ginkgoale cuticle fragments ( Frenelopsis , Eretmophyllum ) and a lot of palynomorphs ( e.g. Gleicheniidites senonicu s, Cyathidites , Deltoidospora , Appendicisporites and Cicatricosisporites ). The chemical signature of the amber suggests it was produced by conifers of the extinct family Cheirolepidiaceae. According to the palynological assemblage, the age of the lignites is upper lower Cenomanian or lower mid Cenomanian. The deposit environment corresponded to the upstream portion of a mangrove or the most inner part of a lagoon.; Un nouveau site à ambre et plantes du Cénomanien a été découvert à Neau, en Mayenne (France). Les lignites fossilifères cénomaniens sont localisés dans des remplissages de karsts développés dans des calcaires du Cambrien. L’ambre se présente essentiellement sous forme de grains millimétriques, dépouvus d’inclusions d’arthropode, mais riches en microorganismes, notamment en bactéries gainées de type Leptotrichites resinatus , et contenant des grains de pollen ( Classopollis ) et des fibres de bois (Araucariacae ou Cheirolepidiaceae). Les lignites fournissent d’abondants fragments de cuticules de conifères et de ginkgoales ( Frenelopsis , Eretmophyllum ) et une grande quantité de palynomorphes ( e.g. Gleicheniidites senonicu s, Cyathidites , Deltoidospora , Appendicisporites et Cicatricosisporites ). La signature chimique de l’ambre suggère qu’il a été produit par des conifères de la famille éteinte des Cheirolépidiacées. D’après l’assemblage palynologique, l’âge des lignites est Cénomanien inférieur tardif ou Cénomanien moyen basal. L’environnement de dépôt correspondait à la partie amont d’une mangrove ou la partie la plus interne d’un lagon.

The Lower Cretaceous Guantou Formation is known as an important horizon for the Cretaceous petrified woods in southern China. Though abundant Cretaceous wood remains have been found in this formation, only one species has been recognized. A new coniferous wood, Brachyoxylon zhejiangense sp. nov. is described from the Lower Cretaceous Guantou Formation in Xinchang of Zhejiang Province, southeastern China. Anatomically, the new species is characterized by obscure annual rings, mixed type of radial pitting, araucarioid cross-field pits and uniseriate xylem rays. The finding of Brachyoxylon zhejiangense sp. nov. represents the first well-defined record of Brachyoxylon in southeastern China, and enriches the diversity of the Early Cretaceous petrified wood in southern China. Additionally, the new finding sheds new light on further understanding the floral composition, especially the forest vegetation type of the southern phytoprovince in the late Early Cretaceous. Diverse compressed leaf fossils of Cheirolepidiaceae have been described from the Guantou Formation in the fossil locality of the present petrified wood. The co-occurrence of Brachyoxylon zhejiangense sp. nov. and those cheirolepidiaceous leaf fossils provide additional evidences to support that Brachyoxylon may be systematically related to the Cheirolepidiaceae.

A palynological and sedimentological study of an outcrop succession adjacent to the village of Kamyanka within the Kharkiv region of northeast Ukraine was carried out. The successions occur within the Dnieper–Donets Basin, which hosts vast successions (> 20 km) of post mid- Devonian strata and is one of the main hydrocarbonproducing basins in Europe. Middle Jurassic sandstones, siltstones and claystones represent the sedimentary successions at the Kamyanska locality. Few palynological studies have been performed on the Jurassic of Ukraine and even fewer presented in the international literature. Thirty spore taxa and 21 pollen taxa were identified, together with taxa kept in open nomenclature (e.g. bisaccate pollen). Two palynological assemblages were identified within the Kamyanska succession (assemblages A and B) dated as Bathonian. Assemblage A is dominated by the fern spores (Cyathidites and Osmundacidites) and gymnosperm pollen produced by Cupressaceae Perinopollenites elatoides), ginkgophytes/Cycadales/Bennettitales (monosulcates) and Cheirolepidiaceae (Classopollis). Assemblage B differs in also comprising high abundances of Gleicheniidites and higher percentages of Pinuspollenites and Araucariacites compared to assemblage A. Another difference between the two units is the high relative abundance of seed fern pollen (Alisporites) in the upper part of assemblage B. The thermal alteration index (TAI) of the palynomorphs is estimated to range from 3 to 3.5, indicating a burial depth corresponding to the mature main phase of liquid petroleum and, to some extent, gas generation. Comparisons between the miospore and macrofloral assemblages show that the palynoflora and macroflora are strongly similar at broad taxonomic levels. Importantly, the miospore assemblages described here compare well with European Middle Jurassic assemblages indicating limited provincialism, with similar vegetation extending from eastern Ukraine and across most of Western Europe. The authors acknowledge the Karazin Kharkiv National University, the host organisation of the 100th anniversary of V.P. Makrydin during which the samples were collected. This is a contribution to the UNESCO/IGCP project 632, Continental Crises of the Jurassic: Major Extinction Events and Environmental Changes Within Lacustrine Ecosystems. The authors further acknowledge the support of the Swedish Research Council (Research links, 2013-6702), for O.S. and V.V. and that of Lund University Carbon Centre (LUCCI) for S.S. and V.V.

To date, the vast majority of fossils described for the extinct conifer family, the Cheirolepidiaceae, have been reported from compression/impressions primarily from Cretaceous rocks; there are fewer reports from permineralizations and the Jurassic. New specimens have recently been discovered in siliceous blocks composed of fusainized layers of plant remains that alternate with fine-grained sediments from the Carapace Nunatak (Lower Jurassic) locality of southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Specimens were prepared using standard serial cellulose-acetate peel technique, transmitted-light microscopy, and SEM analysis. The cones are ellipsoidal, up to 5.5 mm long, and consist of helically arranged microsporophylls, each with a slender stalk containing a single vascular bundle; the distal lamina is peltate and most closely resembles those of the Classostrobus. Four to seven pollen sacs are arranged in an annular cluster abaxial to the sporophyll stalk. In situ Classopollis pollen ranges from 18 to 60 μm in equatorial diameter with an average diameter of 30 μm. In addition to these well-preserved pollen cones there is a large diversity of vegetative conifer remains within the Carapace Nunatak material including leaf and stem fragments. The discovery of the pollen cones in combination with vegetative remains provides additional information on the reproductive biology of the Cheirolepidiaceae and increases the probability of developing a whole-plant concept for this Jurassic permineralized conifer.

Cheirolepidiaceae leaves and pollen are recorded from Valanginian–Albian strata of southeastern Australia that were deposited at high-latitudes under cool, moist climates in contrast to the semi-arid or coastal habitats preferred by many northern Gondwanan and Laurasian representatives of this group. Leaves of this family are characterized by thick cuticles and cyclocytic stomata with randomly oriented apertures, arranged in scattered or longitudinal rows or bands. Stomata are deeply sunken and surrounded by four to six subsidiary cells that bear one or two ranks of prominent overarching papillae, which may constrict the mouth of the pit. Three new taxa (Otwayia denticulata Tosolini, Cheirolepidiaceae cuticle sp. A and sp. B) are distinguished based on cuticular features, adding to several previously documented cheirolepid conifers in the Early Cretaceous of eastern Australia. Cheirolepidiaceae foliage is preserved predominantly in fluvial floodbasin settings and is interpreted to be derived from small trees occupying disturbed or low-nutrient sites. The foliage is associated with Classopollis/Corollina pollen and roots characterized by prominent mycorrhizal nodules. A Cenomanian Classopollis type recognised from Bathurst Island, Northern Australia, is recorded for the first time from the Early Cretaceous Eumeralla Formation, Otway Basin. Classopollis locally is rare in Valanginian–Barremian strata of Boola Boola, Gippsland, but constitutes up to 14% of the palynomorph assemblage in Albian strata. This indicates that the family was locally abundant in cool southern high-latitude climates of the Mesozoic, contrary to previous reports of its rarity in this region. Reconstructing the lost forests of Antarctica: the palaeoecology, anatomy and phylogeny of the iconic Glossopteris flora Exceptional permineralized biotas - windows into the evolution and functional diversity of terrestrial ecosystems through time

The Canad ~ on Asfalto Formation, Ca nad ~ on Asfalto Basin, Patagonia, Argentina, is interpreted as fluvial-lacustrine deposits. A palynological study of the lower and middle parts of the unit, at the Canad ~ on Lahuinc o and Ca nad ~ on Caracoles sections, Cerro Condor Depocentre Chubut province, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina is presented. The quantitative composition of the palynofloras is characterised by the dominance of pollen produced by the conifer families Cheirolepidiaceae (Classopollis) and Araucariaceae (mainly Araucariacites and Callialasporites), suggesting that warm-temperate and relatively humid conditions under highly seasonal climate prevailed during the depositional times of the unit. The abundance of Botryococcus supports the presence of a shallow lake with probably saline conditions. Five palynomorph ecogroups (PEGs) were recognised: upland, lowland, riverside, coastal lake and aquatic. The ecological requirements of the different plant families forming the PEGs enable the inference of a sub-tropical palaeoclimate for the Canad ~ on Asfalto region during late Early Jurassic to mid Middle Jurassic, which is consistent with the ‘seasonally dry (winterwet)’ biome. Fil: Olivera, Daniela Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Geológico del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología. Instituto Geológico del Sur; Argentina Fil: Zavattieri, Ana Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina Fil: Quattrocchio, Mirta Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Geológico del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología. Instituto Geológico del Sur; Argentina

We present the results of the study of higher plant spores and pollen in a section of the Levashi Formation near the village of Aimaki. The Hauterivian and Barremian palynological associations were defined on the basis of changes in the taxonomic content of terrestrial plant spores and pollen. The associations are comparable with Hauterivian and Barremian assemblages of various regions of the Caucasus with respect to the composition of major groups and individual taxa. A transition in the vegetation was noted, from the coniferous palynological association of the Hauterivian to a fern association in the Barremian. The predominance of hygrophilous ferns and the presence of lycophytes and representatives of Taxodiaceae and Sphagnopsida in the Barremian (which were nearly absent in the Hauterivian), accompanied by a significant decrease in thermophilic Cheirolepidiaceae and other conifers, indicate a change in climate characterized by an increase in humidity and a decrease in temperature.

Although fossil conifer wood, leaves, and pollen have been known from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of the Western Interior of North America for many decades, only a few conifer seed cones have been described as carbonaceous compressions and casts with little internal structure. Recently, however, over 60 silicified seed cones with preserved internal anatomy were amassed by collectors from 11 localities in northeastern and southern Utah and brought to the attention of palaeobotanists. Here we describe the silicified cones from Utah and compare them to one another in size, gross morphology and internal construction. The fossil material is sorted into five new morphotypes of seed cone. Morphotype 1 pertains to Araucariaceae, Morphotype 2 is most likely Pinaceae, and Morphotype 5 is Cheirolepidiaceae. The familial affinity of Morphotypes 3 and 4 cannot be determined at this time. Comparative size analysis based on volume calculations shows that Morphotypes 2, 3, 4 and 5 are extremely small, smaller than any Mesozoic araucarian seed cone, and that Morphotype 1 falls within the range of small fossil araucarian cones. Most cone-bearing localities are situated to the northwest, west, and south of Hanksville in southcentral Utah. With regard to palaeobiodiversity, if Araucaria delevoryasii Gee from Wyoming is included, there are now six morphotypes of seed cones that represent at least three conifer families in Utah and Wyoming. Because many conifers are arborescent and form forests, the new fossil evidence suggests that species-diverse conifer forests or woodlands were a major type of vegetation in the Morrison Formation during the Late Jurassic.

Ricciisporites tuberculatus Lundblad is a prominently sculptured palynomorph that is dispersed at maturity as tetrads. It has a wide geographic distribution and reaches a stratigraphically important acme in the Norian and Rhaetian of Europe. As it has not yet been found in situ in a fossilized reproductive structure, its botanical affinity is poorly understood. Recent work on the morphology and ultrastructure of R. tuberculatus favours an affinity with gymnosperms rather than spore plants. In the present contribution, we re-evaluate Triassic–Jurassic (Tr-J) palynological records and discuss the consequences of a gymnosperm affinity for R. tuberculatus for Late Triassic vegetation reconstruction, as well as inferred palaeoecological interpretations. At a Tr-J boundary locality in East Greenland, the relative abundance of R. tuberculatus through time is similar to the Bennettitales Anomozamites and Pterophyllum. We suggest that R. tuberculatus may have been produced by a gymnosperm characterised by an herbaceous ruderal life habit. The poor preservation potential of the vegetative structures of such a plant may explain why R. tuberculatus has not yet been found in situ in a fossil reproductive structure. Moreover, principal component analysis of Late Triassic palynological records show that the vectors of R. tuberculatus and the common pollen type Classopollis plot in opposite directions. We suggest that the parent plants of R. tuberculatus and Classopollis (the Cheirolepidiaceae) may have had different ecological and/or climatological preferences.

The composition of the soluble organic matter of the Oxfordian–Kimmeridgian Flodigarry Shale Member (Isle of Skye, Scotland) is presented for the first time. A continuous succession of silty clays and nodular limestone beds is exposed on a rocky shore to the north of Staffin Bay. This succession is proposed as a potential stratotype of the boundary between the Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian stages. This paper points out the exceptional preservation and very low thermal degradation of the organic matter. Indeed, the molecular composition is characterized by the abundance of unsaturated biomarkers (hopenes and diasterenes) as well as undamaged bioterpenoids (ferruginol and sugiol). The abundance of long-chainn-alkanes characterized by an odd-over-even predominance reveals a dominant continental contribution. This is also attested to by the relatively high amounts of plant biomarkers (e.g. ferruginol, sugiol, cadalene and retene), which suggest a palaeovegetation largely composed of pinophytes, especially Cupressaceae, Taxodiaceae and Cheirolepidiaceae, on the nearest emerged lands. The water column of the depositional environment was oxic in its upper part and rather dysoxic in its lower part. The composition of the organic matter does not significantly change along the Flodigarry Shale Member. In other words, no evolutionary events or drastic change in palaeoenvironments can be deduced from the molecular content of these sedimentary rocks, and it does not allow us to support a precise location for the Oxfordian/Kimmeridgian boundary in the succession.

High-resolution palynological data sets from shallow marine Triassic-Jurassic (Tr/J) boundary beds of two principal sections in Europe (Hochalplgraben in Austria and St. Audrie's Bay in the United Kingdom) were analyzed to reconstruct changes in vegetation, biodiversity, and climate. In Hochalplgraben, a hardwood gymnosperm forest with conifers and seed ferns is replaced by vegetation with dominant ferns, club mosses and liverworts, which concurs with an increased diversification of spore types during the latest Rhaetian. Multivariate statistical analysis reveals a trend to warmer and wetter conditions across the Tr/J boundary in Hochalplgraben. The vegetation changes in St. Audrie's Bay are markedly different. Here, a mixed gymnosperm forest is replaced by monotonous vegetation consisting mainly of Cheirolepidiaceae (80–100%). This change is caused by a transition to a warmer and more arid climate. The observed diversity decrease in St. Audrie's Bay affirms this interpretation. Although both sections show major vegetation changes, neither of them demonstrates a distinctive floral mass extinction. A compilation of Tr/J boundary sections across the world demonstrates the presence of Cheirolepidiaceae-dominated forests in the Pangaean interior and increases in abundance of spore-producing plants adjacent to the Tethys Ocean. We propose that the non-uniform vegetation changes reflected in the Tr/J palynological records are the result of environmental changes caused by Central Atlantic Magmatic Province volcanism. The increase in greenhouse gases caused a warmer climate and an enhanced thermal contrast between the continent and the seas. Consequently, the monsoon system got stronger and induced a drier continental interior and more intensive rainfall near the margins of the Tethys Ocean.

We report on a new genus and species of silicified wood from a locality in the Town of Southbury, Connecticut, on the southwestern margin of the Pomperaug basin, a western outlier of the Hartford basin. Although the material occurs as float, there is strong evidence that it was derived from the immediate vicinity out of the underlying South Britain Formation of Late Triassic (Norian Age). Even though silicified wood is otherwise unknown from the Early Mesozoic of New England, this locality has produced many specimens on a continuing basis since its discovery in 1828. The holotype specimen is a well preserved partial-section of a silicified trunk with an original diameter of approximately 36 cm. The wood is pycnoxylic and consists of tracheids with mostly uniseriate to occasionally alternate-biseriate, mixed (protopinaceous) pits and uniseriate rays ranging from 1 to 11 cells high. The rays consist entirely of parenchyma, have thin walls, are frequently filled with dark material inferred to represent resin, and have a single cupressoid pit where they cross a tracheid. The characters of this wood place it closest to the Mesozoic genus Brachyoxylon, of the extinct Family Cheirolepidiaceae, from which it differs only in its cupressoid cross-field pitting and the inferred resinous infilling of its ray cells. Finally, the close proximity and physical properties of a specimen of silicified wood found at Cedarhurst, Connecticut, argue for its derivation from Southbury, rather than from a blanket of Cretaceous sediment stripped during the Wisconsin Glacial Episode.

Mesofossil and palynomorphs of probable Berriasian age is described from Cretaceous sediments exposed in the Bombarral formation near the village of Juncal in the Estremadura region (western Portugal). Both the palynoflora and mesofossil flora are poor in species diversity and in number of specimens. The palynological assemblage is dominated by pteridophytes and gymnosperms. The mesofossil flora is dominated by conifer seeds and seeds assigned to the Bennettitales–Erdtmanithecales–Gnetales group. The associations indicate the presence of a coniferous forest dominated by Cheirolepidiaceae with a grown cover and understory vegetation of ferns and other pteridophytes as well as members of the BEG group. The fossil floras indicate a warm, seasonally dry climate. The local and regional sedimentological data also point to a seasonal climate with a prolonged dry season. The vegetational and environmental signal from the Portuguese flora is in accordance with that of other, contemporaneous floras of northern Europe (southern England, Bornholm/Denmark and Germany).

Compressed fossil plants were found in the gypsum beds of the Zhoujiadian Formation in Guixi City, Jiangxi Province, China. The cuticular features of two species of Pseudofrenelopsis (Cheirolepidiaceae) were examined by scanning electron microscopy in this study: Pseudofrenelopsis papillosa Cao ex Zhou and Pseudofrenelopsis guixiensis Bainian Sun et Dai, sp. nov. A detailed analysis of the internode epidermis, and the adaxial and abaxial leaf cuticles of the two species, was performed, extending our knowledge of the morphological and anatomical characteristics of the extinct Pseudofrenelopsis. A new species, Pseudofrenelopsis guixiensis sp. nov., is proposed based upon comparison of its cuticular features. It differs from previously published species in that it has hairs on the abaxial surfaces of its leaves, sometimes shares subsidiary cells on the surfaces of internodes, lacks a hypodermis, and has no papillae on its epidermal cells. Because the distribution of fossil Pseudofrenelopsis is restricted to the Lower Cretaceous, the Early Cretaceous age of the Zhoujiadian Formation is affirmed. The fossils of Pseudofrenelopsis show obvious xeromorphic characteristics, such as apparent thickening of the cuticles, subsidiary cells with obvious papillae, and anticlinal walls with strong cutinization, and they are found associated with gypsum beds and close to red beds. All of these features indicate an arid climate.

Pollen grains of Classopollis Pflug from the Cretaceous deposits of Lebanon were studied by means of light and electron microscopy. Ultrastructurally, they are similar to pollen grains, extracted from Classostrobus comptonensis Alvin, Spicer et Watson from the Barremian of England. The differences concern the shape and size of spinules, ultrastructure of apertural regions, and preservation of the endexine. An analysis of our data and published results revealed three types of infratectum existed in members of Circumpolles: (1) with branchy elements, (2) with columella-like non-branching elements, and (3) with large granules arranged in one row. The palynological assemblage is described in detail; problems of dating are discussed.

The composition of terpenoids from well preserved Cretaceous fossil resins and plant tissues from the amber bearing deposits of El Soplao and Reocin in Cantabria (northern Spain) have been analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and the results are discussed using the terpenoid composition of extant conifers as a reference. Amber is present at many horizons within two units of coastal to shallow marine siliciclastics of Albian and Cenomanian age. The fossil resins are associated with black amber (jet) and abundant, well preserved plant cuticle compressions, especially those of the extinct conifer genus Frenelopsis (Cheirolepidiaceae). We report the molecular characterization of two types of amber with different botanical origins. One of them is characterized by the significant presence of phenolic terpenoids (ferruginol, totarol and hinokiol) and pimaric/isopimaric acids, as well as their diagenetic products. The presence of phenolic diterpenoids together with the lack of abietic and dehydroabietic acids excludes both Pinaceae and Araucariaceae as sources for this type of amber. The biological diterpenoid composition is similar to that observed for extant Cupressaceae. The second type of amber is characterized by the absence of phenolic terpenoids and other specific biomarkers. Some terpenoids with uncertain structure were detected, as well as the azulene derivative guaiazulene. Our results suggest that the amber from Cantabria could be fossilized resin from Frenelopsis and other undetermined botanical sources. The biological terpenoid assemblage confirms a chemosystematic relationship between Frenelopsis and modern Cupressaceae.

Several new Triassic-Jurassic boundary sections from the Eiberg Basin (Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria) have been studied at high resolution. We present integrated geochemical and biological proxy data from this western Tethys shelf basin. High-resolution correlation of Kuhjoch, the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Jurassic, Hochalplgraben and Tiefengraben shows that the initial and main Carbon Isotope Excursions (CIE) are contemporaneous with first and last occurrences of boundary defining macro- and microfossils. We focus on the end-Triassic initial CIE at the transition from the limestones of the Kössen Formation to the marls of the Kendlbach Formation. This change coincides with a dramatically increased influx of conifer (Cheirolepidiaceae) pollen and increased total organic carbon (TOC) values, succeeded by an acme of green algae (Cymatiosphaera). We present a model in which increased terrestrial organic matter influx is related to enhanced seasonality and increased erosion of the hinterland. Reduced salinity of the surface waters led to the mass occurrence of green algae. Stratification of the water column may have caused anoxic bottom water conditions and black shale deposition during the initial CIE at the base of the Kendlbach Fm. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Amber occurrences in Brazil are rare. In this regard, the molecular composition of three such fossil resin samples from Brazilian Cretaceous sedimentary basins has been analyzed to determine the botanical origin of the resins. The samples were collected from the Amazonas (Alter do Chao Formation), Araripe (Santana Formation, Crato Member) and Reconcavo (Maracangalha Formation, Caruacu Member) basins. The mono-, sesqui- and diterpenoids in the extracts were used as chemosystematic markers when compared with terpenoids in extant conifers. The compounds were mainly diterpenoids and their degradation products from the labdane, podocarpane, pimarane and isopimarane classes, in addition to paraffins, methoxyphenols and carboxylic acids. Tetracyclic diterpenoids such as phyllocladane, kaurenol and kauranol were also present. The biomarker compositions are certainly typical for conifers and, given the absence of triterpenoids and diterpenoids such as ozic acid, angiosperms can be excluded as a botanical source. The absence of phenolic diterpenoids (ferruginol, totarol) and their derivatives excludes podocarpaceous affinities for the ambers from the Amazonas and Araripe basins. The fossil records of the embedding sediments (e.g. Araucariaceae pollen and leaves) support the proposal of an Araucariacae origin for these ambers, but Cupressaceae and Cheirolepidiaceae cannot be excluded. On the other hand, the presence of phyllocladane and kaurane derivatives is evidence for Araucariaceae or Podocarpaceae origins for the amber from the Reconcavo basin, but Cupressaceae cannot be excluded.

Discovery of a permineralized fossil cone in Mesozoic deposits of southern England provides an opportunity to document the first detailed evidence of internal pollen cone anatomy for the extinct conifer family Cheirolepidiaceae. The specimen, described here as Classostrobus crossii sp. nov., occurs in a calcareous nodule recovered from Middle Jurassic marine sediments of the Lower Callovian Sigaloceras calloviense biozone, Kellaways, near Cirencester, England. The cone is 2.0 cm long and 1.8 cm wide. Sporophylls diverge helically from the axis. Each sporophyll displays a narrow stalk and a distal lamina approx. 11 mm long that tapers to a pointed tip. There is also a basal keel that bends inward at the bottom and sides to form a shallow pocket. A single vascular bundle diverges from the cone axis, extends distally into the sporophyll stalk at the contact of two distinctly different histological zones, and further expands into the distal lamina as transfusion tracheids. Several pollen sacs are attached abaxially at the juncture of the sporophyll stalk and keel. Pollen is roughly spheroidal, 26–35 μm in diameter, with unequal polar caps separated by a striated belt with a subequatorial furrow. This specimen helps clarify the range of variation in the morphology of Mesozoic conifer pollen cones.

International audience; The molecular composition of 10 Cretaceous andone Eocene ambers from France was analyzed by infraredspectroscopy, solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy,and thermochemolysis gas chromatography−massspectrometry. The terpenoids identified in the samples wereused as biomarkers for the botanical origin of the resins. TheCretaceous samples, comprising the so-called Alpine, Anjou,Charentese, Provence, Pyrenean, and Vendean ambers, rangedfrom the Albian−Cenomanian transition to the early Santonian(100 to 85 Ma) and correspond to class Ib resins typical ofconifers. The extinct conifer family Cheirolepidiaceae wasproposed as the plant source of Pyrenean and brown Charenteseambers. Araucariaceae or Cheirolepidiaceae were the plant sourcesof the Cenomanian Alpine, Anjou, and yellow Charentese ambers.The Santonian ambers of Provence and Vendée were found to derive from the Cupressaceae. The Eocene Oise amber (ca. 53Ma) is a class Ic resin typical of angiosperms and was produced by a Fabaceae. The evolution of resin sources from the earlyCretaceous to the Eocene periods is discussed. Finally, a possible fingerprint hitherto unveiled is proposed for cheirolepidiaceousresins, defined by the simultaneous presence of phenolic diterpenoids, labdanoic acids, callitrisate structures, and their respectivederivatives.

Coniferales are represented during the Early Cretaceous in northern South America both by macrofossils and palynomorphs of the families Araucariaceae and Cheirolepidiaceae. Fossils of Cheirolepidiaceae are often abundant in coastal deposits; plants of this family are considered to have grown under semiarid to arid climate conditions because of characteristic anatomical features which include several adaptations to aridity and/or salinity. Here histologically preserved specimens of Pseudofrenelopsis from laminated limestones of the Crato Formation (Araripe Basin, NE Brazil) were studied by light and scanning electron microscopy. A new species Pseudofrenelopsis capillata sp. nov. is described which seems to have grown exclusively at the Early Cretaceous (sub)paleoequatorial area of South America and may be therefore endemic. The new taxon may have grown in a riparian environment along the borders of a large lake as a minor constituent of the surrounding vegetation.

Conifer wood types from the Upper Cretaceous Aguja and Javelina Formations and the Paleocene Black Peaks Formation of Big Bend National Park, Texas, are briefly described. The Big Bend conifer woods represent the largest assemblage of late Cretaceous conifer wood thus far described from the western interior of North America, and include samples with characteristics of the Araucariaceae and Cheirolepidiaceae, and Cupressaceae and Podocarpaceae. Cupressaceae/Podocarpaceae types of the Maastrichtian Javelina Formation have, on average, narrower rings than those of the Campanian Aguja Formation, consistent with the drier climate already proposed for the Javelina Formation. Angiosperm wood assemblages differ between the lower shale and upper shale members of the Aguja Formation, the Javelina Formation, and the Black Peaks, so do the conifer assemblages. The Big Bend conifer woods differ from those described from other western interior localities and document more variation in growth ring types than previously recognized for the whole of the northern hemisphere Late Cretaceous. The sizes of some logs and width of their growth rings suggest that some trees might have reached diameters of 1 m in approximately 80 years. Woods of the Cupressaceae/Podocarpaceae type show that the strategy of having juvenile wood with narrower tracheids and less distinct growth rings than in mature wood occurred in the Late Cretaceous. The incidence of compression wood in mature trunk wood is relatively high and may reflect either unstable substrates or frequent storms with high winds.

Jurassic deposits are well exposed in the Qaidam Basin, Qinghai Province, northwest China, and are regarded as one of the most completely developed Early–Middle Jurassic plant-bearing sequences in northern China. The Early to Middle Jurassic palynoflora in this basin shows a high diversity of spores and pollen grains, which are characterized by four palynological assemblage zones corresponding to the Pliensbachian, Toarcian, Aalenian–Bajocian and Bathonian in age. Vegetation reconstruction demonstrates four vegetation types: upland coniferous forest in the Pliensbachian, coastal cheirolepidiacean forest in the Toarcian, lowland fern forest in the Aalenian–Bajocian and a mixed forest in the Bathonian. Nearest living relative analysis of the major plant groups shows that the Early to Middle Jurassic vegetation in the Qaidam Basin not only consists of plants with tropical–subtropical climate requirements, but also those indicating temperate climatic conditions. In addition, bryophytes and fungi as well as Cheirolepidiaceae, which are generally considered to indicate warmer and/or drier conditions, are also documented in the palynofloras. It is suggested that a temperate to subtropical climate generally prevailed during the Early to Middle Jurassic in this basin. However, the vegetation features and the sedimentary data signify that an overall humid to semi-humid phase was punctuated by warmer and locally dry and/or arid episodes. The two higher temperature and aridity events occurred in the Toarcian and Bathonian-Callovian periods in the Qaidam Basin. These climatic events can be inferred by increase of relative abundance of Classopollis pollen, some tropical–subtropical fern spores, and the occurrences of variegated, red beds and evaporite rocks. These events may either be associated in some way with a transient global warming phenomenon due to an enhanced greenhouse effect, or be linked with intensification of a potential monsoonal circulation. Such events finally caused a weakening and even arrested coal-accumulation in the Qaidam Basin during the Toarcian and the Bathonian-Callovian intervals.

Telephragmoxylon transsylvanicum, a new morphospecies of cheirolepidiaceous conifer wood, typical for the Latest Cretaceous from Sebeş Valley in Oarda-Sebeş sector (Alba district), coeval with the latest dinosaurs, is described. Geological and palaeobotanical settings for South Apuseni Mts. area are sketched and paleoclimatical remarks are suggested.

Studies dealing with the response of the continental biosphere to the environmental perturbations associated with Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) are comparatively rare. Here, a quantitative spore-pollen record combined with clay mineral data is presented, which covers the entire early Aptian OAE 1a interval (Forcall Formation, Maestrat basin, east Spain). The well-expressed OAE 1a carbon-isotope anomaly is paralleled by changes in the clay mineral assemblage and by a stepwise decline in the normalized frequency ofClassopollispollen (produced by xerophytic Cheirolepidiaceae) with lowest contents occurring during the positive δ13C shift. In contrast,AraucariacitesandInaperturopollenitespollen show a pronounced increase in relative abundance from low background values to become a significant component of the palynological assemblage during theClassopollisminimum. The observed changes in clay minerals and pollen distribution patterns are interpreted to reflect a major change in the composition of the hinterland vegetation of the Maestrat Basin, most probably due to short-lived but pronounced climatic cooling and changes in humidity. Temperature anomalies driven by organic carbon burial and associated CO2decline have been postulated for all major Mesozoic OAEs. The palynomorph record from the Iberian Maestrat basins indicates that the climax of this cooling episode was significantly delayed in comparison to the end of organic carbon-rich deposition in the world oceans.