Vegetation response to exceptional global warmth during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30237441.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-06319-6 and PMC identifier 6148089.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The Cenomanian-Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE2; ~94.5 million years ago) represents an episode of global-scale marine anoxia and biotic turnover, which corresponds to one of the warmest time intervals in the Phanerozoic. Despite its global significance, information on continental ecosystem response to this greenhouse episode is lacking. Here we present a terrestrial palynological record combined with marine-derived temperature data (TEX86) across an expanded OAE2 section from the Southern Provençal Basin, France. Despite high TEX86-derived temperature estimates reaching up to 38 °C, the continental hinterland did support a diverse vegetation, adapted to persist under elevated temperatures. A transient phase of climatic instability and cooling during OAE2 known as Plenus Cold Event (PCE) is marked by the proliferation of open, savanna-type vegetation rich in angiosperms at the expanse of conifer-dominated forest ecosystems. A rise in early representatives of Normapolles-type pollen during the PCE marks the initial radiation of this important angiosperm group.
Medical subject headings
- Global Warming
- Oceans and Seas
- Plants