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This paper compiles and correlates for the first time Cretaceous to Eocene palynostratigraphies across the Arctic. It focuses on Greenland and adjacent areas, including the Labrador–Baffin Seaway, onshore Nuussuaq Basin in central West Greenland, onshore southern East Greenland, central East Greenland, North-East Greenland, eastern North Greenland and the Danmarkshavn Basin, but also extends to the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and the Barents Sea region offshore Norway. The paper compiles data from more than three decades of detailed Arctic palynological analyses, based mainly on dinoflagellate cysts. It gives a historical overview of the Cretaceous to Paleogene palaeontological studies of Greenland and presents an overview of 85 palynological intervals and numerous bioevents. The palynological assemblages from the Labrador–Baffin Seaway, Nuussuaq Basin and north-east Baffin Bay reflect the opening of the Labrador–Baffin Seaway, from a brackish to freshwater environment in a large embayment in the Early Cretaceous to an open marine seaway in the Late Cretaceous. Assemblages reveal dinoflagellate cyst provincialism between the opening stages of the Labrador–Baffin Seaway and the already opened Greenland–Norwegian–Barents seaway. The Upper Cretaceous global Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) spanning the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary is recognised from Arctic Canada, north-east Baffin Bay, Nuussuaq Basin in central West Greenland, and North-East Greenland, and is mapped and correlated based on dinoflagellate cyst stratigraphy and carbon isotope (δ13Corg) curves. The dinoflagellate cyst assemblages of the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary are correlated from the Labrador Sea across to the Nuussuaq Basin in central West Greenland; in both areas the earliest Danian palynological assemblage is represented by incoming warm-water species. The presence of the global Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) in the Paleogene successions in North-East Greenland and in exploration wells in the Labrador–Baffin Seaway is indicated by the incoming of the warm-water dinoflagellate cyst species Axiodinium augustum.
Aeropalynological studies quantify pollen present in the atmosphere and elucidate their seasonal variations and regional distribution. Utilizing a Hirst-type volumetric 7-day pollen and spore trap during 2012 and 2013, we conducted an aerobiological investigation in Kars province, Turkey, a region characterized by high altitude and severe climate. Across the 2-year study period, an average annual pollen concentration of 14,931 pollen/m3 was recorded, with 39 taxa identified, including 29.31% woody taxa, 70.58% herbaceous, and 0.11% unidentified. The seven most dominant taxa were Poaceae, Pinaceae, Artemisia, Amaranthaceae, Urticaceae, Quercus, and Cupressaceae/Taxaceae. The data indicated a significant risk period for individuals with pollen allergies from June to July. Statistical analyses were performed to investigate the correlation between the daily pollen concentrations of the dominant pollen types and the variables. The results demonstrated that an increase in temperature was positively correlated with higher pollen counts, whereas increased average relative humidity was associated with reduced pollen concentrations. Notably, herbaceous pollen taxa were more prevalent in Kars. Additionally, the main pollen season starts approximately 6 weeks later than that at lower altitudes. These findings underscore the importance of localized aerobiological monitoring for effective public health responses to pollen allergies.
This paper presents, for the Queensland portion of the Rhaetian – Early Cretaceous Surat Basin, the results of a taxonomic-descriptive study of 89 palynological samples collected from three boreholes that intersected the succession containing the Gubberamunda Sandstone and the succeeding Orallo Formation, as well as the upper Westbourne Formation and the lower Mooga Sandstone, which respectively underlie and overlie this succession. This upper Westbourne Formation – lower Mooga Sandstone interval represents the most complete Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous sedimentary succession in Queensland. It was sampled from: GSQ DRD 26, GSQ Roma 2 and GSQ Dalby 1, respectively located in the western, central, and eastern parts of the basin. The samples yielded a diverse palynoflora in which 212 taxa were identified, embracing both in-situ and reworked (latest Carboniferous – Early Jurassic) spores and pollen, as well as palynomorphs of algal, fungal, acritarch and unknown affinities. Formally included in this work is the previously unpublished taxonomy of McKellar, largely from the immediately preceding part of the Surat Basin succession, as its taxonomic nomenclature is critical to the current compilation. Herewith proposed (from both the current work and that of McKellar) are 27 new species, two new genera, 22 new combinations, ten emendations, the elevation of one subgenus to generic status, and the renaming of one species. From a biostratigraphic perspective, palynofloras from the upper Westbourne Formation and the lower Gubberamunda Sandstone are assigned to the informally defined ‘Retitriletes watherooensis association zone’, and palynofloras from the upper Gubberamunda Sandstone, Orallo Formation and lower Mooga Sandstone, to the Ruffordiaspora australiensis Interval Zone. The upper Westbourne Formation – lower Mooga Sandstone interval was deposited in lacustrine, floodplain and backswamp facies, with a flora that remained relatively stable, there being no major floristic turnover; it consisted of diverse ferns, conifers, lycopods, bryophytes, seed ferns, and a variety of ginkgoes, cycads, and/or gnetales. Humid, warm-temperate conditions are indicated by the flora’s climatic signature.
Dual nomenclature as applied to dinoflagellates is underpinned by conceptual and practical considerations. It allows the separate naming of fossil- and non-fossil species even when they are linked to one another by incubation studies and other techniques. It is needed because fossil- and non-fossil taxonomies are based on different stages of the life cycle and cannot be integrated at the generic level. All taxonomists today who study dinoflagellates, whether living or fossil, place their work under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. The Shenzhen Code and its predecessors have supported dual nomenclature implicitly with the help of examples, but without clear explanation of what it is and how it works. In Madrid, Spain, in July 2024, the Nomenclature Section of the XX International Botanical Congress approved two new articles for the Code that remove earlier contradictions and introduce dual nomenclature explicitly, drawing on a critical distinction between ‘synonymy’ and the new concept and term ‘taxonomic equivalence’. These changes will be incorporated into the forthcoming Madrid Code. In addition to placing the Code in its historical context, we explain how it is amended in order to demystify an intricate but important procedure.
The Pacific coastal Peruvian landscapes are dominated by desert and dry-forest biomes, which have undergone shifts in extent and floral composition in response to Plio–Pleistocene climatic fluctuations. Within this context, the coastal Lomas develop as seasonal vegetation patches, renowned for their high endemism, rich floral diversity, and essential ecosystem services. Despite growing within the desert biome, the Lomas exhibit characteristic elements and vegetation structure typical of a dry-forest biome, evidencing an active species migration between xeric biomes. However, assessing the historical evolution of this arid flora and, by extension, the coastal desert landscape, presents challenges. The scarcity of continental sedimentary records and a lack of extended and well-described palynological references impede these efforts. In response to this, our study offers a thorough morphological review of the Lomas palynoflora, encompassing over 194 genera from 76 families, representing approximately 80% of the known Lomas flora. Our review includes at least one species per reviewed genus, featuring 37 palynomorphs from endemic species (18.5% of the studied flora). This palynological characterization is intended to serve as accessible reference material for investigating the historical and long-term evolution of the coastal dry flora. Furthermore, these findings facilitate the analysis of honeys and bee floral foraging patterns, as well as the study of animal–plant or human–plant interactions from middens and archaeological remains.
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