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Cretaceous-Paleocene Patagonian Spore and Pollen Clumps: New Findings, Alternative Explanations, and Opened Questions

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Abstract

There are few studies focused on spore and pollen clumps in paleopalynological samples, and these are only reports from the Northern Hemisphere. These aggregates may be of animal or floral origin. The goal of this contribution is to provide the first detailed study of spore and pollen clumps from the Southern Hemisphere, and to discuss their possible origin, botanical affinities, and pollination modes, based on their morphological characteristics, preservation and comparison with putative living representatives. Three fern spore clumps and 18 angiosperm pollen clumps were recognized in Maastrichtian-Danian La Colonia Formation sediments that outcrop at Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina. Most clumps are monospecific and composed of undamaged elements but some of them have two types of spore/pollen with corroded and/or fragmented exines. These findings represent the most diverse and abundant record of fern and angiosperm clumps from the Late Cretaceous and early Paleocene so far known from South America and the Southern Hemisphere. These results are indicative of the need for comprehensive large-scale studies on pollination of modern taxa and careful processing of palynological samples to lessen the already large bias in paleopalynological interpretations. The paucity of information on clumps in the fossil record has impaired our comprehension of dispersion/pollination in deep time.

Resumen

Hay pocos estudios enfocados en agregados de esporas y polen procedentes de muestras palinológicas, y estos han sido reportados únicamente en el Hemisferio Norte. Estos agregados pueden ser de origen animal o floral. El objetivo de esta contribución es proveer el primer estudio detallado de agregados de esporas y polen del Hemisferio Sur, y discutir sus posibles orígenes, afinidades botánicas y modos de polinización, basados en sus características morfológicas, preservación y comparación con posibles análogos modernos. Tres agregados de esporas de helechos y 18 de polen de angiospermas fueron reconocidos en los sedimentos del Maastrichtiano-Daniano de la Formación La Colonia, aflorantes en la Provincia de Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina. La mayoría de los agregados son monoespecíficos y están compuestos por elementos en general bien preservados, aunque algunos tienen dos tipos de esporas/polen con exinas corroídas y/o fragmentadas. Estos hallazgos constituyen el registro más diverso y abundante de agregados esporopolínicos del Cretácico Tardío y Paleoceno temprano de Sudamérica y del Hemisferio Sur. Los resultados de este trabajo indican la necesidad de realizar estudios exhaustivos a gran escala sobre polinización en taxones modernos y de desarrollar nuevas técnicas palinológicas menos destructivas que permitan recuperar los agregados de las paleoasociaciones. Claramente, la escasez de información sobre agregados polínicos en el registro fósil afecta nuestra interpretación acerca de la dispersión/polinización y su evolución en el tiempo.

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Acknowledgements

We thank P. Puerta, A. Iglesias, M. Krause, and E. Hermsen for assistance during the 2010 field work season when the bulk of the samples were collected, and E. Ruigomez for curatorial work at the MEF. This work was supported by CONICET, the National Science Foundation grants DEB-0919071, DEB-0918932, DEB-1556666, DEB-1556136, EAR-1925755, and EAR-1925481 to M.A. Gandolfo and P. Wilf, and an International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) grant to F. De Benedetti.

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  1. L. H. Bailey Hortorium, Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Facundo De Benedetti & María A. Gandolfo

  2. Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Avenida Fontana 140, Trelew, Chubut, 9100, Argentina

    Facundo De Benedetti

  3. Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Avenida Fontana 140, Trelew, Chubut, 9100, Argentina

    María C. Zamaloa

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F.D.B. provided funding for the project, participated in the field trips where the fossils were collected, described the material, assembled the plates, and led the discussion and writing of the manuscript. M.C.Z. described the material and led and participated in the discussion and writing of the manuscript. M.A.G. provided funding for the project, led and participated in the field trips where the fossils were collected, and participated in writing the manuscript. All authors gave comments, suggestions, and corrections or wrote sections of the manuscript drafts.

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De Benedetti, F., Zamaloa, M.C. & Gandolfo, M.A. Cretaceous-Paleocene Patagonian Spore and Pollen Clumps: New Findings, Alternative Explanations, and Opened Questions. Bot. Rev. 90, 1–32 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-023-09297-7

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