Highly productive polar forests from the Permian of Antarctica

Miller, Martin A.; Knepprath, Nichole E.; Cantrill, David J.; Francis, Jane E.; Isbell, John L.

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.06.016

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…The presence in Antarctic deposits of glossopterids trunks up to 50–60 cm in diameter indicates that at least some representatives of this genus were relatively large trees, with reconstructed heights of 20–30 m (Cantrill & Poole 2012; Gulbranson et al 2012; Miller et al 2016). The unusual secondary growth of the roots allows their affinities to be determined easily, making it possible to study the taxa involved in plant–plant interactions even on autochthonous fossils, such as those from Skaar Ridge.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent analysis of two in situ glossopterid forests at Lamping Peak, about 100 km from Skaar Ridge (Fig. 2A), estimated the living, above‐ground biomass at 146–400 Mg/ha (depending on the method used) and the basal area 65–80 m 2 /ha (Miller et al 2016). These values fall within the range of estimates for some mature temperate rainforests of Australia, Europe and North America (Balian & Naiman 2005; Keith et al 2009; Jacob et al 2013; Ximenes et al 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the Permian, the warming of the global climate from icehouse to extreme hothouse conditions allowed trees to colonize high latitudes and establish forests well beyond the polar circle (Taylor et al 2000; Cantrill & Poole 2012). Fossils from these regions yield insights into the diversity and biology of the trees growing in these ecosystems with no modern analogue, that is warm polar forests with a strongly seasonal light regime (Creber 1990; Francis 1994; Taylor & Ryberg 2007; Gulbranson et al 2014; Slater et al 2015; Miller et al 2016). In the Late Permian, the high‐latitude forests of the Southern Hemisphere were largely dominated by trees belonging to an extinct order of seed plants, the Glossopteridales (Cúneo et al 1993; Anderson et al 1999; Taylor et al 2009).…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Permian nurse log and evidence for facilitation in high-latitudeGlossopterisforests

Decombeix

Durieux

Harper

et al. 2021

LET

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The biology of trees that grew in high-latitude forests during warmer geological periods is of major interest in understanding past and future ecosystem dynamics. As we study the different plants that composed these forests, it becomes possible to make comparisons with ecosystem processes that occur today. Here we describe a silicified late Permian (Lopingian) glossopterid (seed fern) trunk from Skaar Ridge, central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica, with evidence of glossopterid rootlets growing into its wood. The specimen is interpreted as a nurse log similar to those seen in some extant forests. Together with evidence of glossopterid roots growing within the lacunae of older roots, this new specimen suggests the existence of facilitative interactions among the glossopterid trees that dominated the high-latitude forests of Gondwana during the late Permian. More generally, the existence of self-facilitation might have favoured the expansion of glossopterids within various environments, especially those at high palaeolatitudes, during the Permian icehouse to greenhouse transition. □ Anatomy, Antarctica, fossil tree, Palaeozoic, Paleobotany.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Permian nurse log and evidence for facilitation in high-latitudeGlossopterisforests

Decombeix

Durieux

Harper

et al. 2021

LET

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“…The catastrophic event that likely promoted the formation of the Tharsis orebody is feasible if the productivity rates in ancient forests are considered. In this regard, the productivity rates for Paleozoic forests have been estimated in the range of 2 · 10 8 C g·km −2 ·yr −1 (Miller et al, ), which is not significantly different from the modern rainforests, estimated to be as low as 7.8 · 10 8 C g·km −2 ·yr −1 (Huston & Wolverton, ). The destruction rates of the forest should reach very high rates to balance the productivity rates, which can be considered in the rank of a catastrophic event.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity Contribution of Paleozoic Woodlands to the Formation of Shale‐Hosted Massive Sulfide Deposits in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (Tharsis, Spain)

et al. 2018

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The geological materials produced during catastrophic and destructive events are an essential source of paleobiological knowledge. The paleobiological information recorded by such events can be rich in information on the size, diversity, and structure of paleocommunities. In this regard, the geobiological study of late Devonian organic matter sampled in Tharsis (Iberian Pyrite Belt) provided some new insights into a Paleozoic woodland community, which was recorded as massive sulfides and black shale deposits affected by a catastrophic event. Sample analysis using TOF‐SIMS (Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer), and complemented by GC/MS (Gas Chromatrograph/Mass Spectrometer) identified organic compounds showing a very distinct distribution in the rock. While phytochemical compounds occur homogeneously in the sample matrix that is composed of black shale, the microbial‐derived organics are more abundant in the sulfide nodules. The cooccurrence of sulfur bacteria compounds and the overwhelming presence of phytochemicals provide support for the hypothesis that the formation of the massive sulfides resulted from a high rate of vegetal debris production and its oxidation through sulfate reduction under suboxic to anoxic conditions. A continuous supply of iron from hydrothermal activity coupled with microbial activity was strictly necessary to produce this massive orebody. A rough estimate of the woodland biomass was made possible by accounting for the microbial sulfur production activity recorded in the metallic sulfide. As a result, the biomass size of the late Devonian woodland community was comparable to modern woodlands like the Amazon or Congo rainforests.

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“…Anatomically preserved fossils of Glossopteridales from such high paleolatitudes offer us unique insights into the biology of these plants (Pigg & Nishida 2006;Slater et al 2015). In the last decade, well-preserved specimens from Antarctica have in this way provided details on tree growth and productivity in warm polar forests (taylor & Ryberg 2007;Miller et al 2016), on the anatomy and development of the unusual Vertebraria root system (Decombeix et al 2009), on the ability of the glossopterids to produce epicormic shoots that could regenerate their crown (Decombeix et al 2010a), and on the co-occurrence of deciduous and evergreen species (Gulbranson et al 2014). In addition, information on glossopterid interactions with arthropods (Slater et al 2012) and fungi (Harper et al 2013) gradually allows us to understand the Permian high-latitude forests as complex ecosystems.…”

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confidence: 99%

Bark Anatomy of Late Permian Glossopterid Trees From Antarctica

Decombeix

Taylor

2016

IAWA J

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The Glossopteridales are an extinct group of seed plants that dominated Gondwanan floras during the Permian. Their remains are found across a wide range of habitats and paleolatitudes, and it is particularly interesting to understand the anatomical characteristics that might have enabled such an extensive distribution. Here, we document for the first time the bark anatomy of high-latitude glossopteridalean trees using peels and thin sections made from a Late Permian trunk from Skaar Ridge, Antarctica. The bark is 3 cm thick. The secondary phloem is composed of sieve cells, axial and ray parenchyma, and fibers arranged in discontinuous unicellular tangential layers. The outer bark is a rhytidome, with numerous alternating layers of periderm and non-conducting secondary phloem showing some proliferation of the axial parenchyma. Successive periderms mostly run parallel to the cambium, with some longitudinal undulation and rare connections between two periderms. A similar anatomy was observed in bark fragments found isolated in the matrix or closely associated with large glossopterid stems or roots. The anatomy of the Skaar Ridge specimens shows that Antarctic Glossopteridales had a relatively thick, probably stringy bark. The retention of a significant amount of insulating dead bark tissue on the trunk likely provided protection of the cambium, conducting secondary phloem, and potential latent buds against biotic and abiotic environmental hazards (fire, frost, scalding, insects, etc.) and may have contributed to the extensive paleolatitudinal distribution of the Glossopteridales during the Permian.

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Highly productive polar forests from the Permian of Antarctica

Cited by 13 publications

References 58 publications

A Permian nurse log and evidence for facilitation in high-latitudeGlossopterisforests

A Permian nurse log and evidence for facilitation in high-latitudeGlossopterisforests

Productivity Contribution of Paleozoic Woodlands to the Formation of Shale‐Hosted Massive Sulfide Deposits in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (Tharsis, Spain)

Bark Anatomy of Late Permian Glossopterid Trees From Antarctica

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