Porongodendron minitensis gen. nov. sp. nov. a new lycopsid from the Mississippian of Argentina with adaptations to tundra-like conditions

• Published in: Botany Letters
• Main Authors: Prestianni, Cyrille, Rustán, Juan José, Balseiro, Diego, Vaccari, Norberto Emilio
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: FERTILE ZONES; GONDWANA; PERIODICITY; RHIZOMORPH; STIGMARIA; TOURNAISIAN; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1; Argentina; South Pole; Liège; South pole; Tundra
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11336/203638

The Mississippian is characterized worldwide by a general cooling of the environment and a climatic stratification of Earth. Argentina at that time was part of the megacontinent Gondwana. It occupied a position close to the South Pole around 60°S. Whereas paleoequatorial and paleotropical floras are relatively well known, higher latitude environments are still poorly understood. In this framework, a revision of Mississippian deposits is ongoing in Argentina. An extensive and detailed survey of the Sierra de las Minitas (La Rioja Province, western Argentina) involved drawing detailed sections and the systematic verification of all rock layers. Fossils were sampled and studied in the laboratory. We describe a new isoetalean lycopsid with a rare combination of characters. This plant presents an estimated low stature (approximately 30 cm), a branched rhizomorph, an inflated intermediary zone, a monocaulous growth form and evidence for cyclic fertility. These features are interpreted as representing specific adaptations to the harsher tundra conditions prevailing in the Lower Carboniferous Southern Polar environments. Fil: Prestianni, Cyrille. Université de Liège; Bélgica. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences; Bélgica Fil: Rustán, Juan José. Universidad Nacional de La Rioja; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; Argentina Fil: Balseiro, Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Rioja; Argentina Fil: Vaccari, Norberto Emilio. Universidad Nacional ...