| Abstract Detail
Paleobotanical Section Taylor, Witt [1], Pigg, Kathleen B. [2], DeVore, Melanie L. [3]. Aquatic plants from the Eocene Republic locality, eastern Washington State, USA. The Eocene Republic flora of eastern Washington State is well known for its diverse megafloral assemblage, containing over 250 genera. This locality, which has been collected continuously for the past two decades, is part of a larger group of temperate floras known as the Okanogan Highlands that extends from central British Columbia to eastern Washington State. The Republic flora has provided important paleoclimate and paleoelevation context for the Eocene of western North America, however, the different paleoenvironments represented by individual sites within this flora have not been examined in detail. In the present study, we summarize records of aquatic plants from several sites within the Republic flora. Present at these localities are the following (1) seeds belonging to Nymphaeaceae with Nuphar affinities, (2) receptacle-like infructescences of Nelumbo containing well preserved fruits, (3) entire vegetative remains of individual plants resembling modern monocots such as those of Cyperaceae or Juncaceae, (4) leaves of Decodon (Lythraceae), (5) the aquatic ferns Azolla and Salvinia as well as other specimens that may represent additional aquatic macrophytes. It is our goal to glean what information we can from these aquatic plants to determine the vegetation zones present in the lacustrine environment as determined by the series of sites that make up the Republic flora. Log in to add this item to your schedule
1 - Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, Box 874501, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA 2 - Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 874501, Tempe, Arizona, 85287-4501, USA 3 - Georgia College & State University, Biological & Environmental Sciences, 135 Herty Hall, Campus Box 81, Milledgeville, Georgia, 31061, USA
Keywords: Republic flora Eocene Aquatic plants Okanogan Highlands Nymphaeaceae Nelumbo.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections Session: 17 Location: 169/Law Date: Monday, July 28th, 2008 Time: 2:00 PM Number: 17003 Abstract ID:693 |