Abstract
An impressive and growing list of biogeographically interesting plant and animal taxa occur in Paleogene sediments of both southern Australia and southern South America, indicating trans-Antarctic distributions during the warm past. Here, we provide the first evidence that the living, woody, Australasian monocot Ripogonum was present during the early Eocene of Patagonia, Argentina. Two fossil leaves are sufficiently well preserved in overall shape, size, and fine venation details to be assigned to the genus, being closely comparable to leaves of the extant species R. album and R. scandens and the recently described early Eocene species R. tasmanicum from Tasmania, Australia. The new species, R. americanum, is described. Overall, this evidence suggests that Ripogonum had a significantly larger past range, including Antarctica, during the early Paleogene, when Antarctica was much more closely connected to both Tasmania and South America and high latitude climates were warm and wet. Ecologically, the South American Ripogonum was probably a scrambling vine in mesic forest and grew in association with a rich understory flora of ferns and angiosperms.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Fossil leaves provide evidence that Ripogonum was present in early Eocene Patagonia.
RipogonumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the living, woody, Australasian monocot Ripogonum was present during the early Eocene of Patagonia, Argentina.”
Claim · model-written summary
Two fossil leaves were assignable to Ripogonum from shape, size, and venation.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Two fossil leaves are sufficiently well preserved in overall shape, size, and fine venation details to be assigned to the genus”
Claim · model-written summary
The fossil leaves closely resembled R. album, R. scandens, and R. tasmanicum.
- Outcome
- closely comparablee0
- Comparator
- R. album and R. scandens and the recently described early Eocene species R. tasmanicume0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“being closely comparable to leaves of the extant species R. album and R. scandens and the recently described early Eocene species R. tasmanicum from Tasmania, Australia.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors described the new species R. americanum.
Verbatim
e0“The new species, R. americanum, is described.”
Claim · model-written summary
The fossils suggest a larger past Ripogonum range that included Antarctica in the early Paleogene.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“this evidence suggests that Ripogonum had a significantly larger past range, including Antarctica, during the early Paleogene”
Claim · model-written summary
South American Ripogonum was probably a scrambling vine in mesic forest.
Verbatim
e0“the South American Ripogonum was probably a scrambling vine in mesic forest”
Claim · model-written summary
South American Ripogonum probably grew with a rich fern and angiosperm understory flora.
- Outcome
- association with a rich understory flora of ferns and angiospermse0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“grew in association with a rich understory flora of ferns and angiosperms.”