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A Paleogene trans-Antarctic distribution for Ripogonum (Ripogonaceae: Liliales)?
Citation
Carpenter, RJ and Wilf, P and Conran, JG and Ruben Cuneo, N, A Paleogene trans-Antarctic distribution for Ripogonum (Ripogonaceae: Liliales)?, Palaeontologia Electronica, 17, (3) Article 39A. ISSN 1935-3952 (2014) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2014 Palaeontological Association
Official URL: http://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2014/921-ear...
DOI: doi:10.26879/460
Abstract
An impressive and growing list of biogeographically interesting plant and animal
taxa occur in Paleogene sediments of both southern Australia and southern South
America, indicating trans-Antarctic distributions during the warm past. Here, we provide
the first evidence that the living, woody, Australasian monocot Ripogonum was
present during the early Eocene of Patagonia, Argentina. Two fossil leaves are sufficiently
well preserved in overall shape, size, and fine venation details to be assigned to
the genus, being closely comparable to leaves of the extant species R. album and R.
scandens and the recently described early Eocene species R. tasmanicum from Tasmania,
Australia. The new species, R. americanum, is described. Overall, this evidence
suggests that Ripogonum had a significantly larger past range, including
Antarctica, during the early Paleogene, when Antarctica was much more closely connected
to both Tasmania and South America and high latitude climates were warm and
wet. Ecologically, the South American Ripogonum was probably a scrambling vine in
mesic forest and grew in association with a rich understory flora of ferns and angiosperms.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | Argentina, Australasia, Eocene, Liliales, new species, Ripogonum |
Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
Research Group: | Evolutionary biology |
Research Field: | Biogeography and phylogeography |
Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences |
UTAS Author: | Carpenter, RJ (Dr Raymond Carpenter) |
ID Code: | 98688 |
Year Published: | 2014 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 13 |
Deposited By: | Plant Science |
Deposited On: | 2015-02-24 |
Last Modified: | 2017-11-01 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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