Cenozoic plant diversity in the neotropics

Area of Science:

• Paleobotany
• Palynology
• Neotropical Paleontology

Background:

• Understanding Neotropical plant diversity requires insights into geological time.
• Previous studies lack long-term diversification patterns for Neotropical floras.

Observation:

• A palynological record from Colombia and Venezuela spans the Paleocene to early Miocene (65-20 million years ago).
• The dataset includes 15 stratigraphic sections, 1530 samples, 1411 morphospecies, and 287,736 occurrences.
• This study presents the longest time series of Neotropical palynological plant diversity.

Findings:

• The Paleocene flora exhibited low diversity.
• The early to middle Eocene flora showed significantly higher diversity than present-day levels.
• Diversity declined at the end of the Eocene and into the early Oligocene.

Implications:

• Plant diversity fluctuations correlate strongly with global temperature changes.
• Tropical climate change may directly influence Neotropical plant diversity.
• Climate may control the available area for tropical plant growth, impacting diversity.