Project 4356: M. A. Gandolfo, A. A. Farke, E. J. Hermsen, M. C. Zamaloa, K. C. Nixon, C. C. González, P. Wilf, N. R. Cúneo, K. R. Johnson. 2011. Oldest Known Eucalyptus Macrofossils Are from South America. PLOS ONE. 6 (6):e21084.
Specimen: Eucalyptus pleurocarpa (unvouchered)
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Abstract

The evolutionary history of Eucalyptus and the eucalypts, the larger clade of seven genera including Eucalyptus that today have a natural distribution almost exclusively in Australasia, is poorly documented from the fossil record. Little physical evidence exists bearing on the ancient geographical distributions or morphologies of plants within the clade. Herein, we introduce fossil material of Eucalyptus from the early Eocene (ca. 51.9 Ma) Laguna del Hunco paleoflora of Chubut Province, Argentina; specimens include multiple leaves, infructescences, and dispersed capsules, several flower buds, and a single flower. Morphological similarities that relate the fossils to extant eucalypts include leaf shape, venation, and epidermal oil glands; infructescence structure; valvate capsulate fruits; and operculate flower buds. The presence of a staminophore scar on the fruits links them to Eucalyptus, and the presence of a transverse scar on the flower buds indicates a relationship to Eucalyptus subgenus Symphyomyrtus. Phylogenetic
analyses of morphological data alone and combined with aligned sequence data from a prior study including 16 extant eucalypts, one outgroup, and a terminal representing the fossils indicate that the fossils are nested within Eucalyptus. These are the only illustrated Eucalyptus fossils that are definitively Eocene in age, and the only conclusively identified extant or fossil eucalypts naturally occurring outside of Australasia and adjacent Mindanao. Thus, these fossils indicate that the evolution of the eucalypt group is not constrained to a single region. Moreover, they strengthen the taxonomic connections between the Laguna del Hunco paleoflora and extant subtropical and tropical Australasia, one of the three major ecologic-geographic elements of the Laguna del Hunco paleoflora. The age and affinities of the fossils also indicate that Eucalyptus subgenus Symphyomyrtus is older than previously supposed. Paleoecological data indicate that the Patagonian Eucalyptus dominated volcanically disturbed areas adjacent to standing rainforest surrounding an Eocene caldera lake.


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Article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021084

Project DOI: 10.7934/P4356, http://dx.doi.org/10.7934/P4356
This project containsMatrices
  • 9 Media
  • 1 Matrix
  • 1 Document
  • 18 Taxa
  • 9 Specimens
  • 43 Characters
Total size of project's media files: 6.5M

Download Project SDD File
Total scored cells: 752
Total media associated with cells: 0
Total labels associated with cell media: 0
Characters
Total characters: 43
Total characters with associated media: 0
Total characters with media with labels: 0
Total character states: 101
Total character states with associated media: 0
Total character states with media with labels:0
Total unordered/ordered characters:43/0
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MorphoBank Project 4356

    This research
    supported by

    Authors' Institutions

    • Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio

    • Cornell University

    • Pennsylvania State University

    • Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)

    • Universidad de Buenos Aires

    • Denver Museum of Nature and Science



    Members

    member name taxa specimens media chars character
    media
    labels
    cell scorings
    (scored, NPA, "-")
    cell
    medialabels
    rules
    MorphoBank Curator
    Project Administrator
    18994300752
    (739, 0, 13)
    000
    Maria Alejandra Gandolfo
    Full membership
    0000000
    (0, 0, 0)
    000


    Taxonomic Overview for Matrix 'M28904' (18 Taxa)

    taxon unscored
    cells
    scored
    cells
    no cell
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    NPA
    cells
    "-" cellscell images labels on
    cell images
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    [1] Lophostemon
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    7353402002
    [2] Stockwellia
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    11313002002
    [3] Eucalyptopsis
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    11333002002
    [4] Allosyncarpia
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    14262603002
    [5] Arillastrum
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    4393702002
    [6] Angophora costata
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    0474300002
    [7] Angophora floribunda
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    0464300002
    [8] Angophora hispida
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    0474300002
    [9] Corymbia sub Corymbia
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    0494300002
    [10] Corymbia sect Naviculares
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    2434100002
    [11] Corymbia sect Abbreviatae
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    2444100002
    [12] Eucalyptus deglupta
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    0494300002
    [13] Eucalyptus camaldulensis
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    0474300002
    [14] Eucalyptus pleurocarpa
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    0454300002
    [15] Eucalyptus erythrocorys
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    1444200002
    [16] Eucalyptus cloeziana
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    2444100002
    [17] Eucalyptus sub Eucalyptus
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    0504102002
    [18] † Patagonian fossils
    Last Modified in 08/09/22
    26201700002


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    Bibliography184
    Taxon list986
    Specimen list1682
    Views for media list567




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