A fossil leaf resembling Poeciloneuron indicum Bedd. (Clusiaceae) is described from the Late Oligocene (Chattian 28.4–23 Myr) sediments of Assam. The modern analogue is endemic to the Western Ghats which is situated in the same palaeolatitude. Its presence, along with other known fossil records, indicates that the seasonality in temperature was less pronounced and CMMT (cold month mean temperature) was not less than 18°C with plenty of rainfall, in the region during the period of deposition. The study also indicates that the plant phenology is sensitive towards climate change. The present study is in congruence with the global data.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to the authorities of Coal India Limited, Margherita for permitting them to collect the plant fossils. They are grateful to the Director, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata and the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun for permitting them to consult the herbarium. Thanks are also due to Dr N C Mehrotra, Director, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow for providing necessary facilities and permission to publish this work.
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SRIVASTAVA, G., MEHROTRA, R.C. Endemism due to climate change: Evidence from Poeciloneuron Bedd. (Clusiaceae) leaf fossil from Assam, India. J Earth Syst Sci 122, 283–288 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-013-0277-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-013-0277-z