Paper No. 97-5
Presentation Time: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
FUNGI IN A WARMER WORLD: DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF A NEW PALEOECOLOGICAL AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGICAL PROXY
O'KEEFE, Jennifer1, ROMERO, Ingrid2, POUND, Matthew J.3, NUÑEZ OTAÑO, Noelia B.4, WARNY, Sophie5, GIBSON, Martha6, MCCOY, Jessica L.3, PILIÉ, Mallory R.5, ALDEN, Margaret7, CALDWELL, Abigayle8, FAIRCHILD, C. Jolene9, HORSFALL, Taylor8, JONES, Savannah8, LENNEX-STONE, June E.10, MARSH, Christopher11, PATEL, Alyssa A.8, SMALLWOOD, Liberty12, SPEARS, Tyler M.9, TARLTON, Laikin13 and VANDERESPT, L. Olivia12, (1)Morehead State University, Department of Physics, Earth Science, and Space Systems Engineering, 123 Lappin Hall, Morehead, KY 40351, (2)Morehead State University, Department of Physics, Earth Science, and Space Systems Engineering, 405-C Lappin Hall, Morehead, MS 40351, (3)Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, United Kingdom, (4)Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos, Sede Diamante, CICyTTP (CONICET-UADER-Prov.ER), Laboratorio de Geología de Llanuras, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Diamante, MS E3105, (5)Department of Geology and Geophysics, and Museum of Natural Science Baton Rouge, USA, Louisiana State University, E235 Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, (6)Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, 98 Beechurst Ave, Morgantown, WV 26506, (7)Morehead State University, Department of Physics, Earth Science, and Space Systems Engineering, 150 University Blvd., Morehead, KY 40351, (8)Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, Morehead State University, Morehead, KY 40351, (9)Morehead State University, Department of Physics, Earth Science, and Space Systems Engineering, 123 Lappin Hall, Morehead, MS 40351, (10)Morehead State University, Department of Engineering Sciences, 123 Lappin Hall, Morehead, MS 40351, (11)Morehead State University, Department Engineering Sciences, Morehead, KY 40351, (12)Department of Biology and Chemistry, Morehead State University, Morehead, KY 40351, (13)Morehead State University, Department of Biology and Chemistry, 150 University Blvd., Morehead, KY 40351
Palynomorphs, including pollen, plant spores, and dinoflagellates are widely used as biological, paleoecological, and paleoclimatological proxies that provide a regional-scale signal. Within the spectrum of organismal remains classified as “palynomorphs” in the deep-time fossil record, fungi provide a unique opportunity to elucidate a local, rather than regional signal. Historically, paleoecological and paleoclimatological interpretations using fossil fungi have been hampered by datasets which relied on fossil names, many of which were derived from Sarccado spore morphologies and had no relation to extant taxa. The Fungi in a Warmer World (FiaWW) project has developed an identification method based on the system used by mycologists for morphological comparisons to equate defined fossil taxa with their nearest living relatives and to identify previously unidentified fossil taxa as members of extant fungal clades. This permits the delineation of ecological requirements and paleobiogeographic distribution patterns for fungal assemblages and functional guilds in the fossil record, which can then be used to describe paleoecological conditions and paleoclimates present at the time of deposition. Here we present initial results from multiple depositional settings across the Miocene of Europe, SE Asia, and the United States to demonstrate the utility of fossil fungi as reliable proxies.
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