Paliurus Fruits from the Oligocene of South China and Their Phytogeographic Implications

Jun-Ling Dong; Bai-Nian Sun; Fu-Jun Ma; Qiu-Jun Wang; Pei-Hong Jin; Wen-Jia Wang; Peng Deng; Yi Yang; Xiao-Jing Li

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140653

Paliurus Fruits from the Oligocene of South China and Their Phytogeographic Implications

PLoS One. 2015 Nov 4;10(11):e0140653. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140653. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Jun-Ling Dong^{1

2}, Bai-Nian Sun^{1

2}, Fu-Jun Ma¹, Qiu-Jun Wang¹, Pei-Hong Jin¹, Wen-Jia Wang¹, Peng Deng¹, Yi Yang¹, Xiao-Jing Li¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Earth Sciences & Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China (Gansu Province), Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
² Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS, Nanjing, 210008, China.

Abstract

Paliurus favonii Unger is recognized and described based on fruits from the Oligocene Ningming flora of Guangxi, South China. Characteristics of the present specimens include circular winged fruits that are 10.0-11.5 mm in diameter with a central endocarp at 3.0 to 4.0 mm in diameter. The specimens fall into the morphological range of the fossil species P. favonii, which has been observed in other Cenozoic sites in the Northern Hemisphere. The present discovery represents the lowest latitude distribution of P. favonii in the world, and we are presenting the first P. favonii fossil described with detailed cuticular characteristics from China. Further, this finding demonstrates that the genus existed in the Oligocene Ningming region, South China, and provides new information for understanding the fossil history. The dispersal mode for winged fossils demonstrates that wind dispersal is well-represented in the Oligocene Ningming flora.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biological Evolution
China
Fossils / anatomy & histology*
Fruit / anatomy & histology*
Geography
Phylogeography
Plant Leaves / anatomy & histology*
Rhamnaceae / anatomy & histology*
Rhamnaceae / classification*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant 41172022 (http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/). This work was also supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, number 2012CB822003), the Funds of Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS (No. Y421140303), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. lzujbky-2014-285). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.