Geological Society of America

T97 No Mistakes, Only Happy Accidents: Cutting-Edge Research That is Still in the Troubleshooting Stages (Posters)

Monday, 10 October 2022
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Exhibit Hall F

FUNGI IN A WARMER WORLD: DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF A NEW PALEOECOLOGICAL AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGICAL PROXY

Paper number: T97-5
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Authors

Jennifer O'Keefe Presenting Author
Department of Physics, Earth Science, and Space Systems Engineering, Morehead, KY
Abigayle Caldwell
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
C. Jolene Fairchild
Department of Physics, Earth Science, and Space Systems Engineering, Morehead, MS
Taylor Horsfall
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
Savannah Jones
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
June E. Lennex-Stone
Department of Engineering Sciences, Morehead, MS
Christopher Marsh
Department Engineering Sciences, Morehead, KY
Alyssa A. Patel
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
Liberty Smallwood
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
Tyler M. Spears
Department of Physics, Earth Science, and Space Systems Engineering, Morehead, MS
Laikin Tarlton
Department of Biology and Chemistry, Morehead, KY
Ingrid Romero
Department of Physics, Earth Science, and Space Systems Engineering, Morehead, MS
L. Olivia VanderEspt
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
Matthew J. Pound
Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne
Noelia B. Nuñez Otaño
Laboratorio de Geología de Llanuras, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Diamante, MS
Sophie Warny
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Martha Gibson
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Jessica L. McCoy
Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne
Mallory R. Pilié
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Margaret Alden
Department of Engineering Sciences, Morehead, KY

Abstract

Palynomorphs, including pollen, plant spores, and dinoflagellates are widely used as biological, paleoecological, and paleoclimatological proxies that provide a regional-scale signal. Within the spectrum of organismal remains classified as “palynomorphs” in the deep-time fossil record, fungi provide a unique opportunity to elucidate a local, rather than regional signal. Historically, paleoecological and paleoclimatological interpretations using fossil fungi have been hampered by datasets which relied on fossil names, many of which were derived from Sarccado spore morphologies and had no relation to extant taxa. The Fungi in a Warmer World (FiaWW) project has developed an identification method based on the system used by mycologists for morphological comparisons to equate defined fossil taxa with their nearest living relatives and to identify previously unidentified fossil taxa as members of extant fungal clades. This permits the delineation of ecological requirements and paleobiogeographic distribution patterns for fungal assemblages and functional guilds in the fossil record, which can then be used to describe paleoecological conditions and paleoclimates present at the time of deposition. Here we present initial results from multiple depositional settings across the Miocene of Europe, SE Asia, and the United States to demonstrate the utility of fossil fungi as reliable proxies.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 54, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2022AM-383171

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