Early Miocene flora of central Kazakhstan (Turgai Plateau) and its paleoenvironmental implications

Abstract

The investigation of the fossil floras from the Turgai plateau (central Kazakhstan) contributes to a better understanding of the origin of the temperate Turgai type flora which spread to Kazakhstan and adjacent areas during the Oligocene–Miocene transition. In this paper, we present the results of a carpological and palynological study of the Kumyrtas flora collected from a flora-bearing horizon of the regional coal-bearing Zhilanchik suite, dated to the Aquitanian period. Pollen analysis identified 33 taxa, with are dominated by angiosperms (about 73%) and reflect zonal vegetation. The high percentages of Betula (27%) and Pterocarya (7.5%) that were found in this flora allows comparisons with other Aquitanian floras of Kazakhstan. Based on descriptions of fossil fruits and seeds, we determined that 19 taxa were dominant; these taxa had meosphytic herbaceous components, suggesting mostly edaphic local conditions. The incongruence between the carpological and the pollen records suggests a significant taphonomical effect. Quantitative reconstruction of the palaeoclimate based on pollen records supports---and slightly extends---previous findings based on fossil leaf data, but contradicts findings deduced from the carpological record. Plant Functional Type (PFT) classification was used to characterize the vegetation patterns. Pollen records show that about 45% of diversity relates to the arboreal broadleaved deciduous components and ca. 35% to conifers. Fossil fruit and seed data indicate riverine vegetation with a high diversity of aquatic components and shrub stratum.

Reconstructing Dipsacales phylogeny using Angiosperms353: issues and insights

“…Hence, we conducted a thorough review of the Dipsacales fossil literature to identify additional credible fossils. This literature review led to the identification of 10 additional fossils suitable for calibration (Appendix S3 ), all of which we apply to the Dipsacales for the first time (Ozaki, 1980 ; Manchester et al, 2009 , 2015 ; Liang et al 2013 ; Pavlyutkin, 2015 ; Svetlana et al, 2019 ). We were able to place one to three fossils in all of the major clades except Morinoideae and Dipsacoideae.…”

Возможности Реконструкции Палеоклимата Палеогена И Неогена По Данным Изучения Ископаемой Флоры (На Примере Палеофлоры Р. Улы- Жиланшик)

“…A. Ilyinskaya emphasized [17], various species of extinct genera are noted, conditionally attributed to the family Platanaceae-Protophyllim, Protoacerophyllum, Zaissania. At the same time, "a significant increase in the subtropical Gelinden element is observed" [16], in particular, the genus Dryophyllum appears and achieves great diversity. At the end of the Romankol-Karasor and Kiin-Kerish stages, natural taxa develop predominantly; they account for 70% of all genera and 76% of species known in the flora.…”

“…In Eastern Kazakhstan [15,16] it corresponds to the Kiin-Kerish stage. Its beginning corresponds to the time of development of thermophilic flora, in which, as I.…”

Building a better plant world through mutual learning: An introduction to a special issue on plant diversity and conservation in the Belt & Road Countries

“…Without fossil evidence, the geological climate and vegetation of Kazakhstan---now steppe and desert---would be nearly impossible to imagine. Svetlana et al. (2019) studied the carpology and palynology of the Kumyrstas flora from a coal-bearing Zhilanchik suite for the early Miocene period.…”