Exceptionally well-preserved Early Cretaceous leaves of Nilssoniopteris from central Mongolia
Two new Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) species of fossil bennettitalean leaves are described from central Mongolia and assigned to the genus Nilssoniopteris. Nilssoniopteris tomentosa F.Herrera, G.Shi, Tsolmon, Ichinnorov, Takahashi, P.R.Crane, et Herend. sp. nov., isolated from bulk sediment samp...
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| Format: | Article |
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W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Acta Palaeobotanica |
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| Online Access: | https://acpa.botany.pl/Exceptionally-well-preserved-Early-Cretaceous-leaves-of-Nilssoniopteris-from-central,118492,0,2.html |
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| author | FABIANY HERRERA GONGLE SHI GOMBOSUREN TSOLMON NIIDEN ICHINNOROV MASAMICHI TAKAHASHI PETER R. CRANE PATRICK S. HERENDEEN |
| author_facet | FABIANY HERRERA GONGLE SHI GOMBOSUREN TSOLMON NIIDEN ICHINNOROV MASAMICHI TAKAHASHI PETER R. CRANE PATRICK S. HERENDEEN |
| author_sort | FABIANY HERRERA |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Two new Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) species of fossil bennettitalean leaves are described from central Mongolia and assigned to the genus Nilssoniopteris. Nilssoniopteris tomentosa F.Herrera, G.Shi, Tsolmon, Ichinnorov, Takahashi, P.R.Crane, et Herend. sp. nov., isolated from bulk sediment samples collected for mesofossils in the Tevshiingovi Formation at the Tevshiin Govi opencast coal mine, is distinctive in having a dense, well-developed indumentum composed of branched, flattened multicellular trichomes on the abaxial leaf surface. This species provides the first direct evidence of complex multicellular trichomes in Bennettitales and adds to the evidence of leaf anatomical features in the group that were probably advantageous in increasing water use efficiency and/or perhaps had other functions such as deterring insect herbivory. Comparison with other well-preserved leaves of Bennettitales, including Nilssoniopteris shiveeovoensis F.Herrera, G.Shi, Tsolmon, Ichinnorov, Takahashi, P.R.Crane, et Herend. sp. nov., collected as hand specimens from the Khukhteeg Formation at the Shivee Ovoo locality, suggests that the trichome bases seen commonly on the abaxial cuticle of bennettitalean leaves bore trichomes with very low fossilization potential. In some cases these trichomes may have been shed as the leaves matured, but in other cases they probably decayed during diagenesis or were destroyed during the standard processes by which fossil leaf cuticles are prepared |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:20:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3329b38011704cbcaff75cdb77d57a52 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2082-0259 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:20:13Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Palaeobotanica |
| spelling | doaj.art-3329b38011704cbcaff75cdb77d57a522022-12-22T03:02:48ZengW. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of SciencesActa Palaeobotanica2082-02592018-12-0158213515710.2478/acpa-2018-0016118492Exceptionally well-preserved Early Cretaceous leaves of Nilssoniopteris from central MongoliaFABIANY HERRERA0GONGLE SHI1GOMBOSUREN TSOLMON2NIIDEN ICHINNOROV3MASAMICHI TAKAHASHI4PETER R. CRANE5PATRICK S. HERENDEEN6Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois 60022 USAState Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 People’s Republic of ChinaInstitute of Paleontology and Geology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar-51, MongoliaInstitute of Paleontology and Geology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar-51, MongoliaDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Niigata University, Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181 JapanOak Spring Garden Foundation, Upperville, Virginia 20184 USAChicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois 60022 USATwo new Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) species of fossil bennettitalean leaves are described from central Mongolia and assigned to the genus Nilssoniopteris. Nilssoniopteris tomentosa F.Herrera, G.Shi, Tsolmon, Ichinnorov, Takahashi, P.R.Crane, et Herend. sp. nov., isolated from bulk sediment samples collected for mesofossils in the Tevshiingovi Formation at the Tevshiin Govi opencast coal mine, is distinctive in having a dense, well-developed indumentum composed of branched, flattened multicellular trichomes on the abaxial leaf surface. This species provides the first direct evidence of complex multicellular trichomes in Bennettitales and adds to the evidence of leaf anatomical features in the group that were probably advantageous in increasing water use efficiency and/or perhaps had other functions such as deterring insect herbivory. Comparison with other well-preserved leaves of Bennettitales, including Nilssoniopteris shiveeovoensis F.Herrera, G.Shi, Tsolmon, Ichinnorov, Takahashi, P.R.Crane, et Herend. sp. nov., collected as hand specimens from the Khukhteeg Formation at the Shivee Ovoo locality, suggests that the trichome bases seen commonly on the abaxial cuticle of bennettitalean leaves bore trichomes with very low fossilization potential. In some cases these trichomes may have been shed as the leaves matured, but in other cases they probably decayed during diagenesis or were destroyed during the standard processes by which fossil leaf cuticles are preparedhttps://acpa.botany.pl/Exceptionally-well-preserved-Early-Cretaceous-leaves-of-Nilssoniopteris-from-central,118492,0,2.htmlinsect herbivorymesofossilsmesophyticnilssoniopterispaleoecologytrichomesxerophytic |
| spellingShingle | FABIANY HERRERA GONGLE SHI GOMBOSUREN TSOLMON NIIDEN ICHINNOROV MASAMICHI TAKAHASHI PETER R. CRANE PATRICK S. HERENDEEN Exceptionally well-preserved Early Cretaceous leaves of Nilssoniopteris from central Mongolia Acta Palaeobotanica insect herbivory mesofossils mesophytic nilssoniopteris paleoecology trichomes xerophytic |
| title | Exceptionally well-preserved Early Cretaceous leaves of Nilssoniopteris from central Mongolia |
| title_full | Exceptionally well-preserved Early Cretaceous leaves of Nilssoniopteris from central Mongolia |
| title_fullStr | Exceptionally well-preserved Early Cretaceous leaves of Nilssoniopteris from central Mongolia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exceptionally well-preserved Early Cretaceous leaves of Nilssoniopteris from central Mongolia |
| title_short | Exceptionally well-preserved Early Cretaceous leaves of Nilssoniopteris from central Mongolia |
| title_sort | exceptionally well preserved early cretaceous leaves of nilssoniopteris from central mongolia |
| topic | insect herbivory mesofossils mesophytic nilssoniopteris paleoecology trichomes xerophytic |
| url | https://acpa.botany.pl/Exceptionally-well-preserved-Early-Cretaceous-leaves-of-Nilssoniopteris-from-central,118492,0,2.html |
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