Abstract Detail

Campanian-Maastrichtian floras on Laramidia: vegetation trends west of the seaway

Contreras, Dori L. [1], Boucher, Lisa [2].

Campanian-Maastrichtian floras on Laramidia: vegetation trends west of the seaway.

The record of Campanian-Maastrichtian floras in western North America is extensive and provides an exciting opportunity to understand the vegetation present on Laramidia before the end of the Cretaceous. Well-preserved macrofloral and microfloral assemblages occur at a number of sites distributed from northern North America to Mexico, which include leaves, wood and reproductive organs. A number of research groups are actively working on floras from different regions of eastern Laramidia. Colloquium participants will share their results from accumulated research efforts within different regions as well as new discoveries and more recent collections. Contributions will focus on local- and landscape-scale reconstructions, trends in anatomical and morphological leaf and wood traits, plant-insect interactions and paleoclimate. These contributions will be taxonomic and ecological in nature, including interdisciplinary and quantitative approaches that integrate sedimentological, stratigraphic, and geochemical data with paleobotanical information. By comparing such a large number of sites and specimens along eastern Laramidia, we can set the foundation to better address a number of questions and test hypotheses about Campanian-Maastrichtian floras, such as: How does vegetation vary with geography and/or climate? Are there taxa in common among similar settings? Does a latitudinal gradient in abundance or diversity exist among floral assemblages? Are there trends in leaf and wood characters in different plant groups? What type of vegetation dominated the landscape? Were forests open or closed canopy, and in what environments? Is there a correlation with those trends seen in the faunal composition and diversity? By organizing a colloquium focusing on comparing similar age floras from a diverse number of sites, we will be better able to synthesize data and significantly improve our understanding of Late Cretaceous floras. It would also be a perfect opportunity to encourage and plan manuscript contributions for a special journal volume.

1 - University of California Berkeley
2 - University Of Texas At Austin, Department Of Biology, 110 Inner Campus Drive F0404, Austin, TX, 78712-1711, USA

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: CO3, Campanian-Maastrichtian floras on Laramidia: vegetation trends west of the seaway
Location: Sundance 3/Omni Hotel
Date: Wednesday, June 28th, 2017
Time: 8:30 AM
Number: CO3SUM
Abstract ID:17
Candidate for Awards:None