Linked Canopy, Climate, and Faunal Change in the Cenozoic of Patagonia

Vegetation structure is a key determinant of ecosystems and ecosystem function, but paleoecological techniques to quantify it are lacking. We present a method for reconstructing leaf area index (LAI) based on light-dependent morphology of leaf epidermal cells and phytoliths derived from them. Using...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Dunn, Regan E., Strömberg, Caroline A. E., Madden, Richard H., Kohn, Matthew J., Carlini, Alfredo A.
Format: Text
Language:unknown
Published: ScholarWorks 2015
Subjects:
Biology
Earth Sciences
Geophysics and Seismology
Patagonia
Southern Ocean
Online Access:https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/geo_facpubs/242
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1260947
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Summary:Vegetation structure is a key determinant of ecosystems and ecosystem function, but paleoecological techniques to quantify it are lacking. We present a method for reconstructing leaf area index (LAI) based on light-dependent morphology of leaf epidermal cells and phytoliths derived from them. Using this proxy, we reconstruct LAI for the Cenozoic (49 million to 11 million years ago) of middle-latitude Patagonia. Our record shows that dense forests opened up by the late Eocene; open forests and shrubland habitats then fluctuated, with a brief middle-Miocene regreening period. Furthermore, endemic herbivorous mammals show accelerated tooth crown height evolution during open, yet relatively grass-free, shrubland habitat intervals. Our Patagonian LAI record provides a high-resolution, sensitive tool with which to dissect terrestrial ecosystem response to changing Southern Ocean conditions during the Cenozoic.

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