Abstract Detail

Paleobotany

Atkinson, Brian [1], Tang, Keana [2], Smith, Selena [3].

Late Cretaceous coastal forests: The Campanian flora of Sucia and Little Sucia Islands, Washington state.

Fossil plants recovered from Late Cretaceous deposits of the Nanaimo Group on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada have made meaningful impacts on our understanding of the early evolution of angiosperms. Many of these fossils are exceptionally well preserved down to the cellular level, which has allowed paleobotanists to record anatomical characters that have been important for phylogenetic inference. Here, we report an under sampled Campanian flora from the Cedar District Formation of the Nanaimo Group on Sucia and Little Sucia Islands, Washington state, USA. On these islands calcareous concretions weather out of shallow marine deposits and contain a diversity of three-dimensionally preserved fossil plant material. In this talk, we provide a preliminary report of the Cretaceous flora of Sucia and Little Sucia Islands. Fossils were studied using the cellulose acetate peel technique and micro-CT scanning. So far, a diversity of gametophytes, wood, leaves, cones, flowers, fruits, and seeds have been identified. Prelimenary assessments indicate that this flora is angiosperm dominated while conifers are only represented by a single pinaceous cone and one cupressaceous leafy shoot. Two cycad seeds have been identified and conform to Cycadaceae. Angiosperms are represented by wood, leaves, fruits, and seeds. These fruits and seeds are the most conspicuous component of this flora; some of which can be assigned to Cornales, Cunoniaceae, Sabiaceae, Combretaceae, and the enigmatic extinct taxon Esgueiria. There are at least 10 other fruit and seed morphotypes that await systematic assignment. Fieldwork and systematic investigations are ongoing at this time. However, it is clear that the fossil flora of Sucia and Little Sucia Islands is a promising one that will provide critical insights into the early angiosperm evolution and paleobiogeography.

1 - University Of Kansas, Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
2 - University of Kansas, 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, 2041 Haworth Hall, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
3 - Department Of Earth & Environmental Sciences, 1100 North University Avenue, Room 2534, NUB, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States

Keywords:
Fruits
Cretaceous
Campanian
seeds
Tomography  .

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: PL7, Paleobotany: Mesozoic/Cenozoic Paleobotany
Location: /
Date: Thursday, July 22nd, 2021
Time: 12:45 PM(EDT)
Number: PL7002
Abstract ID:759
Candidate for Awards:None