Pollen and spores from Lower Cretaceous in Guyang Basin of Inner Mongolia,China and their palaeoclimatic and paleoecological significance |
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| Authors: | Peihong Jin Jingwei Chen Zixi Wang Xiaohui Xu Guolin Yang Baoxia Du Bainian Sun |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Earth Sciences & Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China (Gansu Province), Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China;2. Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources, CAS, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China |
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| Abstract: | Research on the climate and vegetation of the Cretaceous is fundamental to understanding the present environment. The present study focuses on the Lower Cretaceous Guyang Formation (Inner Mongolia), which yields unique macrofossils and diverse palynological assemblages that are used to understand the palaeoecology. In total, 56 genera are identified in the examined assemblage, which are dominated by spores and pollen of pteridophytes and gymnosperms. The gymnosperm pollen is dominated by Taxodiaceae, which belong to Coniferales, and a large proportion of pollen attributable to the Cycadophyta and Ginkgopsida. The pteridophyte spores are dominated by taxa attributable to the Lygodiaceae and Cyatheaceae. Quantitative analysis based on the geographical distribution of modern plant communities and the Sporomorph Ecogroup (SEG) model, the palynomorph associations are used to infer the presence of a closed coniferous forest dominated by Podozamitales, Picea and Podocarpus with understory vegetation comprising ferns prevailed. The fossil palyno flora indicates a warm and humid subtropical climate during Early Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia. |
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| Keywords: | Guyang Formation Lower Cretaceous paleoclimate paleoecology pollen and spore |
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