AI Article Synopsis
- Vegetation structure is essential for understanding ecosystems, but there are limited methods for quantifying it in paleoecology.
- A new technique is presented for reconstructing leaf area index (LAI) by analyzing leaf epidermal cells and phytoliths from ancient plants.
- The study of LAI in Patagonia reveals that dense forests transitioned to fluctuating open forests and shrublands over millions of years, which influenced herbivorous mammals' tooth evolution during certain habitat changes.
Article Abstract
Vegetation structure is a key determinant of ecosystems and ecosystem function, but paleoecological techniques to quantify it are lacking. We present a method for reconstructing leaf area index (LAI) based on light-dependent morphology of leaf epidermal cells and phytoliths derived from them. Using this proxy, we reconstruct LAI for the Cenozoic (49 million to 11 million years ago) of middle-latitude Patagonia. Our record shows that dense forests opened up by the late Eocene; open forests and shrubland habitats then fluctuated, with a brief middle-Miocene regreening period. Furthermore, endemic herbivorous mammals show accelerated tooth crown height evolution during open, yet relatively grass-free, shrubland habitat intervals. Our Patagonian LAI record provides a high-resolution, sensitive tool with which to dissect terrestrial ecosystem response to changing Southern Ocean conditions during the Cenozoic.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1260947 | DOI Listing |
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