The magnificent Dipterocarps: précis for an Epitaph?

Ashton, Peter S.; Morley, Robert J.; Heckenhauer, Jacqueline; Prasad, Vandana

doi:10.1007/s12225-021-09934-7

Cited by 20 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 109 publications

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“…Gaertn. in molecular phylogenetic analyses ( Heckenhauer et al, 2017 ; Ashton et al, 2021 ). Ashton (1982) described Parashorea species as having unthickened or barely thickened petioles, unlike the prominently swollen petioles in Dipterocarpus and the fossils.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The exemplar specimen and the isolated wings are generally similar in having a large number of parallel veins (at least 9–10), which is typical among the dipterocarps only of Hopea and Shorea species ( Shi & Li, 2010 ). Molecular analyses have resolved Hopea as a derived subclade of Shorea ( e.g ., Heckenhauer et al, 2017 ; Ashton et al, 2021 ). Both traditional genera have their wing bases adpressed to the nut body and no calyx tube, as in the exemplar specimen, and are usually five-winged.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The wood record includes numerous fossils of Dipterocarpaceae, which overwhelmingly dominate today’s lowland rainforests of the region and are thus central to most discussions of Asian rainforest evolution and biogeography ( e.g ., Maury-Lechon & Curtet, 1998 ; Morley, 2000 ; Ashton, 2014 ; Raes et al, 2014 ; Ghazoul, 2016 ). The age and biogeographic origins of the dipterocarps are widely debated ( Ashton, 1982 ; Morley, 2003 ; Shukla, Mehrotra & Guleria, 2013 ; Ghazoul, 2016 ; Kooyman et al, 2019 ; Ashton et al, 2021 ; see Discussion). The family includes many extremely tall trees ( Ashton, 1982 ; Shenkin et al, 2019 ), providing the characteristic vertical structure of regional rainforests that is famously associated with elevated animal diversity, including diverse vertebrate gliders ( Dudley & DeVries, 1990 ; Heinicke et al, 2012 ); their long-cycle mast flowering and fruiting events are also a significant control on animal populations ( e.g ., Ashton, Givnish & Appanah, 1988 ; Corlett, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The family includes many extremely tall trees ( Ashton, 1982 ; Shenkin et al, 2019 ), providing the characteristic vertical structure of regional rainforests that is famously associated with elevated animal diversity, including diverse vertebrate gliders ( Dudley & DeVries, 1990 ; Heinicke et al, 2012 ); their long-cycle mast flowering and fruiting events are also a significant control on animal populations ( e.g ., Ashton, Givnish & Appanah, 1988 ; Corlett, 2019 ). The dipterocarps suffer severe anthropogenic pressure, especially from logging followed by agricultural conversion ( Ashton, 2014 ; Corlett, 2019 ; Ashton et al, 2021 ; Bartholomew et al, 2021 ). Of 460 Asian dipterocarp species (subfamily Dipterocarpoideae) assessed in the IUCN Red List ( IUCN, 2021 ), 408 (89%) have Near Threatened status or worse; 57% are Endangered, Critically Endangered, or Extinct.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First fossil-leaf floras from Brunei Darussalam show dipterocarp dominance in Borneo by the Pliocene

Wilf

Zou

Donovan

et al. 2022

PeerJ

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The Malay Archipelago is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, but it suffers high extinction risks due to severe anthropogenic pressures. Paleobotanical knowledge provides baselines for the conservation of living analogs and improved understanding of vegetation, biogeography, and paleoenvironments through time. The Malesian bioregion is well studied palynologically, but there have been very few investigations of Cenozoic paleobotany (plant macrofossils) in a century or more. We report the first paleobotanical survey of Brunei Darussalam, a sultanate on the north coast of Borneo that still preserves the majority of its extraordinarily diverse, old-growth tropical rainforests. We discovered abundant compression floras dominated by angiosperm leaves at two sites of probable Pliocene age: Berakas Beach, in the Liang Formation, and Kampong Lugu, in an undescribed stratigraphic unit. Both sites also yielded rich palynofloral assemblages from the macrofossil-bearing beds, indicating lowland fern-dominated swamp (Berakas Beach) and mangrove swamp (Kampong Lugu) depositional environments. Fern spores from at least nine families dominate both palynological assemblages, along with abundant fungal and freshwater algal remains, rare marine microplankton, at least four mangrove genera, and a diverse rainforest tree and liana contribution (at least 19 families) with scarce pollen of Dipterocarpaceae, today’s dominant regional life form. Compressed leaves and rare reproductive material represent influx to the depocenters from the adjacent coastal rainforests. Although only about 40% of specimens preserve informative details, we can distinguish 23 leaf and two reproductive morphotypes among the two sites. Dipterocarps are by far the most abundant group in both compression assemblages, providing rare, localized evidence for dipterocarp-dominated lowland rainforests in the Malay Archipelago before the Pleistocene. The dipterocarp fossils include winged Shorea fruits, at least two species of plicate Dipterocarpus leaves, and very common Dryobalanops leaves. We attribute additional leaf taxa to Rhamnaceae (Ziziphus), Melastomataceae, and Araceae (Rhaphidophora), all rare or new fossil records for the region. The dipterocarp leaf dominance contrasts sharply with the family’s <1% representation in the palynofloras from the same strata. This result directly demonstrates that dipterocarp pollen is prone to strong taphonomic filtering and underscores the importance of macrofossils for quantifying the timing of the dipterocarps’ rise to dominance in the region. Our work shows that complex coastal rainforests dominated by dipterocarps, adjacent to swamps and mangroves and otherwise similar to modern ecosystems, have existed in Borneo for at least 4–5 million years. Our findings add historical impetus for the conservation of these gravely imperiled and extremely biodiverse ecosystems.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

First fossil-leaf floras from Brunei Darussalam show dipterocarp dominance in Borneo by the Pliocene

Wilf

Zou

Donovan

et al. 2022

PeerJ

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“…We are very pleased to have the eminent dipterocarp botanists Peter Ashton and his co-authors, R. Morley, J. Heckenhauer and V. Prasad, publish their review, 'The magnificent Dipterocarps: précis for an Epitaph? ', in Kew Bulletin (Ashton et al 2021).…”

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confidence: 99%