2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Reconstruction of Terrestrial environment with using the internal anatomy of fossil plants.
| Project/Area Number |
13640475
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Stratigraphy/Paleontology
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| Research Institution | Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba |
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Principal Investigator |
SAIKI Ken'ichi Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba, Department of Botany, senior researcher, 自然誌歴史研究部・植物学研究科, 上席研究員 (40250055)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
MATSUMOTO Midori Chiba University, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, assistant, 理学部, 助手 (30110349)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2001 – 2004
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| Keywords | China / Mongolia / Mesozoic / fossil plants / Xinxyueoxylon / terrestrial paleoclimate / paleovegetation / Ashicaulis |
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| Research Abstract |
The main purpose of this project is the reconstruction of the terrestrial environment with using the internal anatomy of fossil plant remains.
In north eastern China, We collect several gymnosperm and fern fossils from the Mesozoic deposits. We described gymnosperm trunk Xinxyueoxylon from the Jurassic of Liaoning Province. Anatomical features of this specimen show both cycad-like and medulosans-like characters. Hypothesis of the evolutionary way from medulosans to cycad have been discussed since 1950's. However, no fossil evidence which connects these two taxa have been found. Thus this specimen is important to reconstruct the phylogeny of gymnosperms. We also describe osmundaceous fern Stem from the middle Jurassic of Hebei province. This specimen belongs to the fossil stem genus Ashicaulis. Based on specimen and literature search of Ashicaulis species, we find that this genus is flourished only under the Warm temperate and Winter wet dimatic condition. Thus this genus can be used as a indicator of paleoclimate. Terrestrial climate of fossil sites may belongs to these climatic condition.
In Mongolia, we described fossil plants from the lower Cretaceous of paleo-Choyr basin. We described ferns, lycopsids, equistetaleans, and conifers. No angiosperm was discovered. Based on both these mega fossil plants records and previous palynomorph works, we reconstruct the paleovegetation of paleo-Choyr basin. In the Cretaceous time, central part of this basin is fern marsh and surrounding highland is covered with conifer forests. We also estimate the natural primary product(NPP) of this vegetation based on modem counter part and reconstruct the energy flow of paleoecosystem of this basin.
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