The genus Platychara from the Western Hemisphere

R.E. Peck; R. M. Forester

doi:10.1016/0034-6667(79)90011-3

Home/Archive/USGS

USGS · 70012409

The genus Platychara from the Western Hemisphere

R.E. Peck·R. M. Forester

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The systematics of four species belonging to the genus Platychara (Charophyta) from the Western Hemisphere is discussed. Three of the species, as defined herein, occur in Cretaceous and Paleocene rocks from Mexico through South America. The type species, P. compressa (Peck and Reker) Grambast, also of Cretaceous and Paleocene age, is herein restricted to deposits north of Mexico. These latter restrictions geographically separate P. compressa and P. perlata as presently defined but the relationship between these two species is still uncertain. A new species, P. grambastii, is proposed for specimens from Maestrichtian sediments in Jamaica. ?? 1979.

Explore related subjects

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology Article

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

R.E. Peck, R. M. Forester. 1979. The genus Platychara from the Western Hemisphere. https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-6667(79)90011-3

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

USGS2022

The effect of diagenesis and acetolysis on the preservation of morphology and ultrastructural features of pollen

Pollen morphology on its own and in conjunction with other characteristics has elucidated the origin and evolution of various plant groups. Previous studies of fossil pollen rarely discuss the effects of diagenesis and sample preparation on pollen characteristics, i.e., variability in staining, pollen morphology, and pollen wall ultrastructural characteristics. This paper examines the effect of acetolysis on reflectance and spectral epi-fluorescence measurements. Based on empirical studies, different species under similar experimental conditions display different reflectance values, indicating individual species respond differently to similar post-depositional thermal events. The quantitative pollen fluorescence spectra showed significant variability, but there is an overall increase in the mean wavelength of maximum emission with acetolysis. Increases in these spectral parameters are used to infer thermal maturation and diagenetic pathways in fossil pollen. The paper also discusses observations made on fossil pollen of a known thermal maturity using Pearson's Pollen/Spore Color Standard. Assessment of pollen thermal maturity using this color standard can be an indicator of the quality of morphological and ultrastructural information that can be extracted from fossil pollen. Increasing thermal maturity of pollen may have an effect on staining variability. Based on observations, staining for brightfield or electron microscopy in fossil pollen, although useful for improving contrast in the specimen, must be used with caution when interpreting pollen wall structure. Although single fossil pollen investigations are useful, replication of these studies on similar or the same specimens from the same locality or various localities will collectively provide more information for elucidation of the morphology and ultrastructure of the once living pollen, and is helpful in sorting out characteristics that may be artifacts from post-depositional diagenesis.

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology↗

USGS2011

An analysis of modern pollen rain from the Maya lowlands of northern Belize

In the lowland Maya area, pollen records provide important insights into the impact of past human populations and climate change on tropical ecosystems. Despite a long history of regional paleoecological research, few studies have characterized the palynological signatures of lowland ecosystems, a fact which lowers confidence in ecological inferences made from palynological data. We sought to verify whether we could use pollen spectra to reliably distinguish modern ecosystem types in the Maya lowlands of Central America. We collected 23 soil and sediment samples from eight ecosystem types, including upland, riparian, secondary, and swamp ( bajo ) forests; pine savanna; and three distinct wetland communities. We analyzed pollen spectra with non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), and found significant compositional differences in ecosystem types' pollen spectra. Forested sites had spectra dominated by Moraceae/Urticaceae pollen, while non-forested sites had significant portions of Poaceae, Asteraceae, and Amaranthaceae pollen. Upland, bajo , and riparian forest differed in representation of Cyperaceae, Bactris -type, and Combretaceae/Melastomataceae pollen. High percentages of pine ( Pinus ), oak ( Quercus ), and the presence of Byrsonima characterized pine savanna. Despite its limited sample size, this study provides one of the first statistical analyses of modern pollen rain in the Maya lowlands. Our results show that pollen assemblages can accurately reflect differences between ecosystem types, which may help refine interpretations of pollen records from the Maya area.

Maya lowlands↗

USGS2001

Pollen assemblages as paleoenvironmental proxies in the Florida Everglades

Analysis of 170 pollen assemblages from surface samples in eight vegetation types in the Florida Everglades indicates that these wetland sub-environments are distinguishable from the pollen record and that they are useful proxies for hydrologic and edaphic parameters. Vegetation types sampled include sawgrass marshes, cattail marshes, sloughs with floating aquatics, wet prairies, brackish marshes, tree islands, cypress swamps, and mangrove forests. The distribution of these vegetation types is controlled by specific environmental parameters, such as hydrologic regime, nutrient availability, disturbance level, substrate type, and salinity; ecotones between vegetation types may be sharp. Using R-mode cluster analysis of pollen data, we identified diagnostic species groupings; Q-mode cluster analysis was used to differentiate pollen signatures of each vegetation type. Cluster analysis and the modern analog technique were applied to interpret vegetational and environmental trends over the last two millennia at a site in Water Conservation Area 3A. The results show that close modern analogs exist for assemblages in the core and indicate past hydrologic changes at the site, correlated with both climatic and land-use changes. The ability to differentiate marshes with different hydrologic and edaphic requirements using the pollen record facilitates assessment of relative impacts of climatic and anthropogenic changes on this wetland ecosystem on smaller spatial and temporal scales than previously were possible. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology↗