The hyperdiverse rove beetle genus Stenus (Steninae) has one of the most specialized prey-capture structures known from extant arthropods. They use a ‘tongue’-like apparatus formed by a protrusible labium with terminal sticky cushions and a haemolymph pressure to catch fast-fleeing prey. Fossils with an exposed apparatus are exceedingly rare. Mesozoic stenines are therefore significant for elucidating the early evolution of the group. Recently, an international team led by Dr. CAI Chenyang, from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reported two species of the extinct stenine genus Festenus from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, some 99 million years ago, which provides important information about the origin and early evolution of both the novel predatory structure and of the beetle subfamily. Steninae include three extant genera: the widespread Stenus, the Holarctic Dianous, and a new genus from Australia. Living in various microhabitats, extant Stenus species prey on fast-fleeing springtails and other small animals. The species of Dianous lack such a protrusible labium. Dr. Cai and his colleagues examined over 120 individuals of Steninae, and found an exposed prey-capture apparatus in only two specimens. The ‘tongue’-like apparatus displays a generalized form, just as that in extant species such as Stenus comma. Therefore, like modern Stenus species, these fossil stenine rove beetles were likely able to catch small-sized animals such as springtails using their sticky apparatus. The discovery of direct evidence of a protrusible prey-capture apparatus in one of the earliest known stenine beetles from the Cretaceous illuminates their early evolution and confirms an ancient origin for their derived predatory behavior. Molecular phylogenetic studies of selected species of Stenus and Dianous indicated an origin of Dianous within Stenus, suggesting a secondary loss of the harpoon apparatus. The presence of a protrusible prey-capture apparatus has been considered the most prominent apomorphic character for Stenus, but this assumption is rejected the new disveorey of these Mesozoic Steninae with specialized prey-capture apparatus Reference: Chenyang Cai*, D.J. Clarke, Ziwei Yin, Yanzhe Fu, Diying Huang, 2019. A specialized prey-capture apparatus in mid-Cretaceous rove beetles. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.002. Specialized prey-capture apparatus in an extant Stenus species. Specialized prey-capture apparatus in mid-Cretaceous stenine rove beetles.
Anchiornis, one of the earliest feathered dinosaurs ever discovered, was found to have the ability to fly. However, could it fly like birds today? A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by researchers from China and the U.S. says no. The flight feathers of modern birds are mainly composed of β-keratin, which gives them special biomechanical properties (such as flexibility, elasticity and strength) to meet the needs of flight. Dr. PAN Yanhong from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) and her colleagues used electron microscopy and chemical analyses to compare flight feathers of Anchiornis with those of a chicken and four other feathered dinosaur and fossil birds. They found that Anchiornis feathers were predominated by thicker α-keratins rather than thinner β-keratins, and lacked the biomechanical properties needed for flight, although they did contain some of the necessary molecular structures as indicated by the presence of feather β-keratins. On the other hand, Pan and colleagues also showed that the flight feathers of Chinese Mesozoic birds such as Eoconfuciusornis and Yanornis, as well as a Cenozoic bird, were mainly composed of β-keratins, as in modern birds. The findings suggest that even though Anchiornis feathers were not suitable for powerful flight, their molecular composition may signify an intermediate stage in the evolution of avian flight feathers. Researchers from NIGPAS, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Linyi University, North Carolina State University, and South Carolina State University participated in the study. The study was supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Reference: Yanhong Pan, Wenxia Zheng, Roger H. Sawyer et al., 2019. The molecular evolution of feathers with direct evidence from fossils. PNAS. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1815703116. The Anchiornis (STM0-214) specimen studied in this work, collected from Jianchang, western Liaoning, location of samples is marked by red box. A TEM image of the fossilized feather from the Anchiornis specimen, showing the thick filaments composed of α-keratins dominated at the ultrastructural level. Time-scaled evolution of molecular composition and ultrastructure of feathers within a Mesozoic avian and non-avian phylogeny. Filled stars showing the distribution of tested fossil feathers and related integumentary tissues used in this study.
The Fotan Group from Zhangpu of Fujian yielded abundant plant megafossil and amber, generating a typical Miocene tropical rainforest ecosystem of China. The plant fossils are preserved in diatomite and mudstone, while the amber occurs within coal seams and diatomite that directly underlie the layer hosting plant flora. Determining the age of Fotan fossil horizons can help date the Miocene tropical rainforest in China and constrain its long-term history. Recently, Dr. ZHENG Daran and Associate Professor SHI Gongle from the ‘Modern terrestrial ecosystem origin and early evolution’ group at Nanjing institute of Geology and Palaeontology of Chinese Academy of Sciences, cooperating with the researchers from the University of Hong Kong and Columbia University, pioneered this age-determining research and provided a robust 40Ar/39Ar age for the Fotan biota based on the basalt samples from Maping and Wuling of Zhangpu, Fujian Province. For the sample from Maping, incremental heating analysis of groundmass yielded a plateau age of 14.5 ± 1.5 Ma (MSWD = 0.65). Data from the step-heating analysis were plotted on an inverse isochron isotope correlation diagram (36Ar/40Ar vs. 39Ar/40Ar). The isochron age of 15.2 ± 2.0 Ma (MSWD = 1.2) shows well agreement with the plateau age including its error term. For the sample from Wuling, incremental heating analysis of groundmass yielded a well-defined plateau age of 14.7 ± 0.4 Ma (MSWD = 0.28). The isochron age of 14.7 ± 0.4 Ma (MSWD = 0.96) is identical with the plateau age. The 302 ± 2 40Ar/36Ar intercept from the inverse isochron diagram resembles atmospheric values (i.e., 295.5 or 298.56). Although the age results for both samples are indistinguishable at the 2σ level, we interpret the more precise 14.7 ± 0.4 Ma ages as the upper limit of the depositional age of the Fotan fossils. This age constrains interpretations of the early evolution of tropical rainforest ecosystems in Asia, and laid foundation for the systematic study of Zhangpu amber biota. This research was recently published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, and supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and RGC General Research Fund of Hong Kong. Reference: Zheng, D., Shi, G., Hemming, S.R., Zhang, H., Wang, W., Wang, B., Chang, S.-C.*, 2019. Age constraints on a Neogene tropical rainforest in China and its relation to the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 518: 82–88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.01.019. Photograph of a outcrop in Fotan, Zhangpu Stratigraphic column of Fotan Group in Zhnagpu 40Ar/39Ar age result
It is well-known that living fossils exhibit stasis over geologically long time scales. Examples are the panda and ginkgo. Now, two tiny beetles trapped in 99-million-year-old amber may join this group. Beetles are the most species-rich group of animals on our planet. Among four extant suborders of beetles, polyphaga is the largest and most diverse group. The origin and early evolutionary history of polyphagan beetles have been largely based on evidence from the derived and diverse ‘core polyphaga’, whereas little is known about the species-poor basal polyphagan lineages, which include Clambidae and four other extant families. Recently, an international team led by Dr. CAI Chenyang, from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reported two new and rare species of the extant family Clambidae from Burmese amber: Acalyptomerus thayerae Cai and Lawrence, 2019, and Sphaerothorax uenoi Cai and Lawrence, 2019. They are important for understanding the early evolution and biogeography of the family and even for polyphagan beetles. Clambidae is a small group of small-sized (usually 0.7–2.0 mm long) polyphagan beetles distributed worldwide, with approximately 150 described species grouped in five extant genera. Most clambid adults occur in decaying vegetation, leaf litter and rotten wood and occasionally fly at dusk. The two new species, represented by five well-preserved fossils, were discovered by Dr. CAI and colleagues from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Both species are extremely morphologically close to their living counterparts, and can be placed in extant genera. Acalyptomerus thayerae (about 1.05–1.15 mm long) has a close affinity to A. herbertfranzi, a species currently occurring in Mesoamerica and northern South America. Sphaerothorax uenoi (about 0.71 mm long) is closely related to extant species of Sphaerothorax, which are usually collected in forests of Nothofagus in Australia, Chile and New Zealand. The discovery of two Cretaceous species from northern Myanmar indicates that both genera had lengthy evolutionary histories, originating at least by the earliest Cenomanian, and were probably more widespread than at present. Remarkable morphological similarities between fossil and living species suggest that both genera changed little over long periods of geological time, which is usually considered to be a feature of living fossils. The long-term persistence of similar mesic microhabitats such as leaf litter may account for the 99-million-year morphological stasis in Acalyptomerus and Sphaerothorax. Reference: Cai C*, Lawrence JF, Yamamoto S, Leschen RAB, Newton AF, Slipinski A, Yin Z, Huang D, Engel MS. 2019. Basal polyphagan beetles in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar: biogeographic implications and long-term morphological stasis. Proc. R. Soc. B, 20182175. DOI:10.1098/rspb.2018.2175 Acalyptomerus thayerae from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (Image by NIGPAS) Sphaerothorax uenoi from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (Image by NIGPAS) Geographical distribution of Acalyptomerus thayerae and Sphaerothorax uenoi and their related extant counterparts (Image by NIGPAS)
The Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (K–Pg boundary) marks the beginning of the Cenozoic, and is one of the most important geological boundaries. Charophytes are usually very abundant in the non-marine strata near the K–Pg boundary, and the significant changes of charophyte flora can help to recognize the K–Pg boundary. The “SK-1” scientific drilling project in the Songliao Basin is the first continental Cretaceous scientific drilling under the framework of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, which provides a rich source of fossils for this research. Recent investigation conducted by the assistant researcher Sha LI, Professor Qifei WANG, Professor Haichun ZHAMG from “Modern terrestrial ecosystems origin and early evolution research team” at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, cooperated with Xiaoqiao WAN from the China University of Geosciences and Carles MARTíN-CLOSAS from the University of Barcelona, studied the change of charophyte floras from the Cretaceous–Paleogene transition in the Songliao Basin. Four charophyte biozones and one superzone are defined in the Sifangtai and Mingshui formations from the SK-1(North) borehole in the Songliao Basin (NE China) and correlated to the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale. These include a mid–late Campanian Atopochara trivolvis ulanensis Zone, a latest Campanian–early Maastrichtian Microchara gobica Zone, a late Maastrichtian Microchara prolixa Zone, and an earliest Danian Peckichara sinuolata Zone. The latter three zones are grouped within the Microchara cristata Superzone, which allows intra- and intercontinental correlation with other basins in China and Europe. Peckichara sinuolata first appears in chron C29r (upper Mingshui Formation) and is proposed as the basal marker of the Paleocene. The biozonation of the K–Pg interval proposed for the Songliao Basin differs from a previous biozonation proposed in the Pingyi Basin since it represents a different biogeographical and palaeoecological context. In the mid-Campanian to Maastrichtian, the flora was limited to freshwater lakes in northern China and Mongolia, whereas in the Pingyi Basin, brackish water dominated. In the Paleocene, the Songliao Basin contained a diverse flora consisting of nine species that thrived in terrigenous and temporary lakes, whereas the flora in the Pingyi Basin was dominated by one species inhabiting permanent alkaline lakes. The species common to the two basins are widely distributed in Eurasia and constitute a useful tool for long-distance correlations, but serve as a less-precise tool for detailed biostratigraphical subdivision within one specific basin. Reference: Li, S.*, Wang, Q.F., Zhang, H.C., Wan, X.Q., Martín-Closas, C.*, 2018. Charophytes from the Cretaceous–Paleocene boundary in the Songliao Basin (north-eastern China): a Chinese biozonation and its calibration to the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale. Papers in Palaeontology, DOI: 10.1002/spp1002.1225. Charophytes from the Songliao Basin. Stratigraphic log of the SK-1(N) borehole showing position of samples and of charophytes, calibrated to the GPTS (Deng et al. 2013).
Numerous well-preserved fossils have already been discovered in mid-Cretaceous (late Albian to earliest Cenomanian, ≈100 Ma) amber from northern Myanmar, including new species, genera, and even families of plants and invertebrates. Compared to many new discoveries on insects, researches of the botanical inclusions stay faraway behind, so far only a few derived ferns (polypods) described from the Myanmar ambers. However, the polypod fossils are significant not only in recovering the polypod ferns’ diversity changes in history, but also in bridging the gap between the Cretaceous records of polypod ferns and divergence time estimates obtained based on the DNA sequence variation. For ferns, amber inclusions are scientifically valuable because of their preservation of micro-structures, especially sporangia, which are usually poorly preserved in sedimentary fossils. Two new fern fossils with beautifully preserved sporangia were reported by Prof. LI Chunxiang from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and her colleagues, from the mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar. Thyrsopteris cretacea represents the first fossil occurrence of Thyrsopteris in the Myanmar tropical forest. Today only one species is known in Thyrsopteris and Thyrsopteridaceae from temperate southern hemisphere and the new fossil species adds much needed data on the evolutive history of this group of ferns. It adds to the diversity previously ascribed to the Thyrsopteridaceae, which has been based on Eocene fossils, and it extends the fossil record of the family further back to the mid-Cretaceous. Most previous fossils of Thyrsopteridaceae have been from the Southern Hemisphere and are therefore considered Gondwanan. Thyrsopteris cretacea represents one of the few occurrences of the family in Laurasia. Researchers also described another new fossil belonging to the Lindsaeaceae as Proodontosoria myanmarensis gen. et sp. nov.. This new fossil probably scrambled with scandent leaves and spiny axes on other plants. The increasing inventory of the Lindsaeaceae in amber has important implications for the phylogenetic reconstruction of extant Lindsaeaceae lineages and subsequent interpretation of their classification. The morphology of Proodontosoria myanmarensis does not concur with any crown group lineage of Lindsaeaceae, but rather display a character state mosaic of several extant lineages. As a result, the fossil might be a Lindsaeaceae stem group representative, rather than a crown group element. These researches were supported by Project of State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (Nanjing Institute of geology and Palaeontology, CAS) (Grant No. Y626040108), and Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB26000000). References: 1) Chunxiang Li, Robbin C. Moran, Junye Ma, Bo Wang, Jiasheng Hao (2018). A new fossil record of Lindsaeaceae (Polypodiales) from the mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar. Cretaceous Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2018.12.010 2) Chunxiang Li, Robbin C. Moran, Junye Ma, Bo Wang, Jiasheng Hao, Qun Yang (2019). A mid-Cretaceous tree fern of Thyrsopteridaceae (Cyatheales) preserved in Myanmar amber. Cretaceous Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2019.01.002 Fossil and extant Thyrsopteris. (A–E) Holotype of Thyrsopteris cretacea. (F-I) Extant Thyrsopteris elegans. Proodontosoria myanmarensis gen. et sp. nov. (Lindsaeaceae, Polypodiales).
Silicified and phosphatized microfossils preserved in the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in South China provide key evidence for the early radiation of eukaryotes after the Neoproterozoic global glaciations. Two microfossil biozones (the Tianzhushania spinosa biozone from the lower Doushantuo Formation, and the Hocosphaeridium anozos biozone from the upper Doushantuo Formation) have been proposed on the basis of acanthomorphic acritarchs preserved in the Doushantuo Formation chert nodules in the Yangtze Gorges area. However, their correlation with the stratigraphic horizons yielding Weng’an biota, a well-known phosphatized microfossil assemblage, has long been an issue of debate, which hinders our understanding of the radiation pattern of microscopic eukaryotes after the Marinoan glaciation, as well as their biostratigraphic significance in the subdivision and correlation of the Ediacaran successions. OUYANG Qing from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Chinese Academy of Sciences and her colleagues carried out litho-, bio-, and chemostratigraphic studies on the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in the Zhangcunping area of the western Hubei Province, South China. They found that both the lithostratigraphic sequence and microfossil assemblage at Zhangcunping resemble those at Weng’an, indicating a straightforward correlation between fossiliferous strata in these two areas. Litho- and chemostratigraphic correlations suggest that the microfossil-bearing strata at Zhangcunping could be correlated with the upper part of the lower acritarch biozone in the Yangtze Gorges area, thus supporting the stratigraphic correlation between the stratigraphic units yielding the Weng’an biota at Weng’an and the upper part of the lower acritarch biozone in the Yangtze Gorges area. This correlation scenario supports the idea that the Weng’an biota is biostratigraphically transitional between the lower and upper acritarch biozones, suggesting a stepwise evolutionary pattern of the Ediacaran acanthomorphic acritarchs after the Cryogenian global glaciation, and calls for more detailed investigation on the taxonomical composition and biostratigraphic ranges of acanthomorphs in the T. spinosa biozone in the Yangtze Gorges area, and re-consideration of acanthomorphic biozonation of the Doushantuo Formation in the Yangtze Gorges area. Reference: Ouyang, Q., Zhou, C.*, Xiao, S., Chen, Z., Shao, Y., 2019, Acanthomorphic acritarchs from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation at Zhangcunping in South China, with implications for the evolution of early Ediacaran eukaryotes. Precambrian Research, 320: 171–192. Correlation of the Weng’an biota at Weng’an, Guizhou Province and the Zhangcunping microfossil assemblage at Zhangcunping
Some acanthomorphic acritarchs from the Doushantuo Formation at Zhangcunping, Hubei Province, South China
The Late Devonian Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) mass extinction is traditionally known as one of the “Big Five” faunal crises during the Phanerozoic. Ostracods are microcrustacea that first appeared in the Ordovician (Cambrian?) and are still developing today. Ostracods offer special insights into the characteristics of the Devonian bio-environmental events. So far, it is still ambiguous that how benthic ostracods from shallow to deep waters responded to the crisis. Moreover, pelagic ostracods are relatively rare in the F-F transitional interval and their responses to the F-F event are not clear as well. Recently, Dr. SONG Junjun from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with her colleagues studied the Late Devonian ostracods from South China and Europe. The study showed that ostracods in varied environments responded to the F-F event differently. Namely, from the carbonate platform, slope, to basinal settings, the extinction rate of benthic ostracods at the F-F transition decreased with increasing water depth. Nevertheless, the F-F event caused substantial loss among pelagic entomozooidea lineages. The extinction pattern of benthic and pelagic ostracods in F-F event in South China is similar to the situation in Europe. But the extinction rates of benthic ostracods in shallow water and slope in Europe seems to be higher than that in the same situation in South China. The abundance and diversity of ostracods decreased and some species even disappeared in anoxic environments across the F-F boundary in South China, when there were rapid changes in the palaeotemperature of surface sea water. Article information: Song, J. J., Huang, C. & Gong, Y. M. *, Response of Ostracods (Crustacea) to the Devonian F—F event: Evidence from the Yangdi and Nandong sections in Guangxi, South China. 2019, Global and Planetary Change 173: 109-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2018.12.015 Extinction pattern of the Devonian F-F transitional ostracods from South China Ostracod assemblages and extinction rates of benthic and pelagic species from shallow marine to deep marine setting in the F-F event. The relationship between variations in the abundance and diversity of benthic ostracods and changes of the marine
As one of the major groups in the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, cephalopods may have played a critical role in the marine environment. Their origins and radiations indicate the expansion of the marine ecosystem from the water bottom to open sea. However, the morphologic characteristic and diversity of the early cephalopods during the Cambrian–Ordovician transition have been poorly known. Recently, Dr. Fang Xiang and Prof. Zhang Yuandong from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Bj？rn Kr？ger from University of Helsinki, Finland, conducted a research on the cephalopods from the latest Cambrian. In the study, all the published Cambrian cephalopod occurrences were analyzed using several quantitative methods, including cluster analysis (CA) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). The results showed that the cephalopods first appeared during the late Cambrian in North China, and rapidly dispersed to South China, North America, and probably also to Siberia and Kazakhstan, showing their first evolutionary radiation. However, shortly afterwards, nearly 95% of these existing cephalopods disappeared abruptly in the Cambrian–Ordovician transition, with only several elements of two families surviving into the earliest Ordovician, which became the ancestors of the Ordovician and subsequent cephalopods. In addition, the rapid diversification of cephalopods during the late Cambrian approximately coincides with the origination and diversification of several other groups, e.g., graptolites and radiolarians, while the mass extinction of cephalopods in the Cambrian–Ordovician transition coincides with those of trilobites and brachiopods, and temporally with a major late Cambrian sea-level regression. This study was financially supported by the National Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This study is a contribution to the IGCP653 ‘The onset of the Great Ordovician Biodiversity Event’. Reference: Fang, X., Kroger, B., Zhang, Y.D., Zhang, Y.B., Chen, T.E., 2018. Palaeogeographic distribution and diversity of cephalopods during the Cambrian–Ordovician transition. Palaeoworld, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2018.08.007. Range chart of early cephalopod faunas through the Cambrian and Ordovician transition and the diversity of some other major marine organisms. Palaeobiogeographic distribution of cephalopods during the latest Cambrian.
Representative palynomorphs from the Miocene Shengxian Formation in eastern Zhejiang Province (scale bar=20μm)The Miocene was a period in which significant environmental and climatic changes occurred. Global temperature began to rise since the late Early Miocene, then significantly decreased after the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum, which was accompanied by frequent fluctuations. In China, the zonal climate pattern linked to the planetary circulation system was transformed to a monsoon-dominated pattern similar to the present-day one, which had occurred at least by the early Miocene, giving rise to great environment and vegetation changes in this region. The Neogene Shengxian Formation is a set of strata consisting of basaltic rocks of multi-volcanic cycles and fluvial–lacustrine deposits, the latter is one of the most renowned localities of Neogene fossil plants in China. Isotope chronology studies show the volcanic activities related to the Shengxian Formation occurred during the Late Miocene to the earliest Quaternary, while the fossiliferous horizons are generally assigned to the Miocene which is mainly based on the fossil flora comparisons. Research progress on the palynoflora of the formation is still limited because these deposits either occurred as the intercalations or were formed in small rifted basins and intermontane basins with scattered distribution and small thickness, greatly preventing the accurate correlation among different sections. As sporopollen is an important palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic proxy, it is necessary to establish a possible palynological succession for the in-depth study of the evolution of palaeovegetation and palaeoenvironment in east China. Recently, a group led by Prof. Wang Weiming from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences provides a new insight into the palynoflora of the Shengxian Formation and its palaeovegetational and palaeoenvironmental implications. The result was published in “Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology” lately. According to the division of the volcanic belt within the distribution range of the Shengxian Formation, the research group carried out systematic pollen sampling and analysis. On the basis of compilation of previous studies and extensive correlation with existing sporopollen data, a Miocene palynological succession was established, including the late Early–early Middle Miocene Quercus E.–Liquidambar–Carya assemblage, the late Middle–early Late Miocene Quercus E.–Pinus–(Poaceae)–Trapa assemblage, and the late Late Miocene Quercus E.–Fagus–Artemisia assemblage. This palynological succession indicates that along with the changes of climate, the vegetation of the study area went through three periods, i.e., thermophilous arbors–dominated stage under the warm and humid climate, conifers–increased and aquatic plants Trapa–flourished stage, forests–shrunk and grassland–expanded stage, which were largely related to the global climate change at that time. Combining with fossil plants records, the zonal vegetation of eastern Zhejiang Province during the late Early–Late Miocene was similar to its modern type but with more distinct altitudinal zonality because of the occurrence of Larix. This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Reference: Yi Yang, Wei-Ming Wang*, Jun-Wu Shu, Wei Chen, 2018. Miocene palynoflora from Shengxian Formation, Zhejiang Province, southeast China and its palaeovegetational and palaeoenvironmental implications. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 259, 185-197.
