New data on the stem and leaf anatomy of two conifers from the Lower Cretaceous of the Araripe Basin, northeastern Brazil, and their taxonomic and paleoecological implications

PLoS One. 2017 Mar 3;12(3):e0173090. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173090. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Pseudofrenelopsis and Brachyphyllum are two conifers that were part of the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) taphoflora of the Crato Formation, Araripe Basin, northeastern Brazil. The former genus includes, so far, P. capillata and indeterminate species, whilst the latter is mainly represented by B. obesum, the most common plant megafossil recovered from that stratigraphic unit. Here, the stem and leaf anatomy of Pseudofrenelopsis sp. and B. obesum specimens is revisited, including the first report of some epidermal and vascular traits for both taxa from the Crato Formation. Along with its paleoecological significance, the new data suggest the presence of more than one Pseudofrenelopsis species in the Aptian taphoflora of the Araripe Basin and further support the taxonomic placement of B. obesum within Araucariaceae.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Brazil
  • Fossils*
  • History, Ancient
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Paleontology
  • Phylogeny*
  • Phylogeography
  • Plant Leaves / anatomy & histology*
  • Plant Leaves / ultrastructure
  • Plant Stems / anatomy & histology*
  • Plant Stems / ultrastructure
  • Tracheophyta / anatomy & histology*
  • Tracheophyta / classification
  • Tracheophyta / ultrastructure

Grants and funding

This work was funded by a Ph.D. grant to MEPB by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and a productivity grant to MIBL by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). There was no additional external funding received for this study.