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Gone with the wind: Wind-dispersed seeds and fruits at two early Oligocene sites in the Czech Republic and China, and their palaeoecological implications
| First Author: |
Wu, Mengxiao |
| Abstract: |
Wind dispersal (anemochory) is a significant strategy for seed and fruit dispersal, which shapes biogeographic patterns and colonization dynamics. In this paper, we focus on wind-dispersed diaspores (seeds, fruits, and bracts) from two early Oligocene fossil sites, Kundratice (Czech Republic) and L & uuml;he (Yunnan, China), to record, compare, and evaluate the preservation and aerodynamic types of dispersal units. Our investigation enhances understanding of the dispersal strategies of woody angiosperms in the early Oligocene across Eurasia, and offers key insights into seed and fruit dispersal and ecosystem dynamics in the environmental change. Results indicate that wind dispersal was the predominant diaspore dispersal strategy at both sites and autogyro (rotates around on the seed end of the diaspore) was the main aerodynamic group. Diaspores of Acer, Carpinus, Ostrya, and Fraxinus are present at both sites, with Acer and Ostrya particularly abundant and showing greater morphological variations in L & uuml;he. Most of the genera with wind-dispersed diaspores at the two sites are common components of modern deciduous forest. The taxon richness of wind-dispersed taxa in the two sites is lower than in modern regions at similar latitudes but the proportion of wind-dispersed genera is close to that of modern regions at similar latitudes in China. Furthermore, our study confirms the similarity between the early Oligocene floras of Europe and East Asia in terms of a specific ecological process-seed and fruit dispersal. The characteristic composition of modern wind-dispersed diaspores had already been established by the early Oligocene in both regions. |
| Contact the author: |
Wu, MX |
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| Impact Factor: |
2.7 |
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| PubYear: |
2025 |
| Volume: |
675 |
| Publication Name: |
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY |
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