Article (Scientific journals)
Plant biodiversity changes in Carboniferous tropical wetlands
Cleal, Christopher J.; Uhl, Dieter; Cascales - Miñana, Borja et al.
2012In Earth-Science Reviews, 114 (1-2), p. 124-155
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Keywords :
Palaeoclimates; Palaeoecology; Palaeotropical; Pennsylvanian; Vegetation; Canada; Cape Breton Island; England; Germany; North Rhine-Westphalia; Nova Scotia; Pennines; Ruhr; Saarland; South Wales; Sydney [Cape Breton Island]; United Kingdom; Wales
Abstract :
[en] Using a combination of species richness, polycohort and constrained cluster analyses, the plant biodiversity of Pennsylvanian (late Carboniferous) tropical wetlands ("coal swamps") has been investigated in five areas in Western Europe and eastern North America: South Wales, Pennines, Ruhr, Saarland and Sydney coal basins. In all cases, species richness expansion followed an essentially logistic curve typical of that associated with ecologically closed habitats, with niche saturation being achieved in about three million years. The resulting steady-state ("climax") coal swamp vegetation had a local-scale (within an area of c. 0.1ha) species diversity in South Wales of 16±7 and Simpson Diversity Indices of 4.53±2.55, which are very similar to values obtained from studies on North American coal swamp vegetation. Landscape diversity (within an area 105km2) varied between 50 and 100 species in the lower to middle Westphalian Stage, falling to about 40-50 species in the upper Westphalian Stage. Regional-scale diversity (within an area>105km2) is difficult to estimate but was at least 120 species. Species turn-over was typically very low, at about 4 species per million years, but there were a number of intervals of more rapid species turn-over in the early Langsettian, late Duckmantian, early Bolsovian and middle Asturian times, which are recognised today as biozonal boundaries. The swamps were mostly subject to ecological stasis during early and middle Westphalian times, although they contracted locally in response to drying of substrates. Later in Westphalian times, however, the swamps were subject to regional-scale changes in composition and aerial extent, probably in response to climate change. The coal swamps had a much lower species diversity compared to modern-day tropical rain forests. © 2012 Elsevier B.V..
Disciplines :
Phytobiology (plant sciences, forestry, mycology...)
Author, co-author :
Cleal, Christopher J.;  Department of Biodiversity and Systematic Biology, National Museum Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP, United Kingdom
Uhl, Dieter;  Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Cascales - Miñana, Borja ;  Department of Earth Sciences, University of Zaragoza. c/ Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Thomas, Barry A.;  Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth SY23 1NL, United Kingdom
Bashforth, Arden R.;  Geological Museum, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark, Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560, United States
King, Sarah C.;  School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
Zodrow, Erwin L.;  Palaeobotanical Laboratory, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6L2, Canada
Language :
English
Title :
Plant biodiversity changes in Carboniferous tropical wetlands
Publication date :
2012
Journal title :
Earth-Science Reviews
ISSN :
0012-8252
eISSN :
1872-6828
Publisher :
Elsevier, Netherlands
Volume :
114
Issue :
1-2
Pages :
124-155
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Available on ORBi :
since 08 January 2015

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