Fossil endocarps of Aralia (Araliaceae) from the upper Pliocene of Yunnan in southwest China, and their biogeographical implications
- Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming (China); Univ. of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla (China)
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)
- Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming (China); Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing (China)
- Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming (China); Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla (China)
Aralia stratosa H. Zhu, Y.J. Huang et Z.K. Zhou sp. nov. is described based on fossil endocarps from the upper Pliocene of northwest Yunnan in southwest China. The endocarps are characterized by a semicircular to elliptic outline in the lateral view, an apical beak-like structure bending towards the ventral side, and a transversely wrinkled surface, collectively indicating taxonomical inclusion in the genus Aralia (Araliaceae). The new fossil taxon is compared with nine extant species of Aralia based on endocarp morphology and anatomy, showing the carpological resemblance to A. echinocaulis. Aralia stratosa sp. nov. represents the first confirmed fossil record from lower latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. This implies a southerly biogeographical range for this genus than was previously interpreted. The fossil record of Aralia suggests a Cretaceous origin in North America and an Eocene dispersal to eastern Asia, likely via the Bering land bridge, followed by Miocene establishment in Europe. The genus likely began to inhabit lower latitudes in eastern Asia no later than the late Pliocene, which is in line with results from molecular analyses. As a result, all these may suggest a southward distributional change probably associated with the global cooling and northern acidification.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357; No. DE-AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1247308
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1251970
- Journal Information:
- Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Vol. 223, Issue C; ISSN 0034-6667
- Publisher:
- ElsevierCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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