Katinas et al.—Fossil pollen of Asteraceae from Patagonia

New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

Early history of Asteraceae in Patagonia: evidence from fossil pollen grains

Liliana Katinas

División Plantas Vasculares
Museo de La Plata
Paseo del Bosque s/n
FW1900A La Plata, Argentina
katinas@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar

Jorge V. Crisci

Laboratorio de Sistemática y Biología Evolutiva
Museo de La Plata
Paseo del Bosque s/n
FW1900A La Plata, Argentina

María Cristina Tellería

Laboratorio de Actuopalinología
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”
Av. Ángel Gallardo 470
C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Viviana Barreda

Luis Palazzesi

Sección Paleopalinología
División Paleobotánica
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”
Av. Ángel Gallardo 470
C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract The Asteraceae are classified into three subfamilies: Barnadesioideae, Cichorioideae, and Asteroideae. It has been suggested that the southern South American subfamily Barnadesioideae is the basal branch of the phylogenetic tree of the family, and Patagonia is the ancestral area of Asteraceae. Here we explore the chronological records of some members of the family, with findings of Mutisiinae (tribe Mutisieae, subfamily Cichorioideae) from the Late Oligocene (28–23 Ma) and of Barnadesioideae and Nassauviinae (Mutisieae) from the Early Miocene (23–20 Ma), all recovered from marine deposits of Patagonia. Even though the succession of fossil appearances (first Mutisieae) differs from that provided by molecular data (first Barnadesioideae), this new scheme offers additional evidence towards the understanding of the early history of ancestral Asteraceae.

Keywords fossil pollen; Asteraceae; Mutisieae; Barnadesioideae; Oligocene; Miocene; southern South America

B07042; Online publication date 27 November 2007; Received 10 September 2007; accepted 16 November 2007

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