Database-based Eco-Plant analysis for Mesozoic dispersed sporomorphs.

Area of Science:

• Paleobotany and Paleoclimatology
• Database development for scientific research

Background:

• Plant community composition is influenced by climatic factors like water, heat, light, and air.
• Existing methods for analyzing past climate variations can be enhanced by classifying plants into ecogroups (Eco-Plant).

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Eco-Plant model for analyzing paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate variations.
• To present the Sporopollen online database for assigning eco-climatic traits to fossil sporomorph data.
• To enable rapid assessment of past vegetation patterns and climatic changes.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Sporopollen online database with a user-friendly interface.
• Automatic linking of Mesozoic and Cenozoic sporomorphs to parent plants (phylum, order, family).
• Automatic linking of Triassic and Jurassic sporomorphs to Eco-Plant groups to assess humidity (EPH) and temperature (EPT).

Main Results:

• The Eco-Plant model successfully reconstructs relative humidity and temperature changes during the Triassic and Jurassic periods.
• The Sporopollen database provides immediate results upon data upload.
• The database links sporomorphs to parent plants and Eco-Plant groups.

Conclusions:

• The Eco-Plant model is a valuable tool for reconstructing past humidity and temperature.
• The Sporopollen database serves as a useful tool for paleoenvironmental reconstruction.
• This approach enhances high-resolution palynological studies.