Geological Society of America

166 D25. Recent Developments in Paleoecology (Posters)

Tuesday, 17 October 2023
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Hall B

FUNGAL ASSEMBLAGES CHANGE WITH DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND IMPACT PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS: A CASE STUDY FROM THE MIOCENE OF NW PERU

Paper number: 166-23
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Authors

Jeremyah Cabrera Presenting Author
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
Christopher Marsh
Department Engineering Sciences, Morehead, KY
L. Olivia VanderEspt
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
Liberty Smallwood
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
Ingrid Romero
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Noelia Nuñez Otaño
Laboratorio de Geología de Llanuras, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Diamante, MS
Diana Ochoa
University of Salamanca, Salamanca
Jen O'Keefe
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY

Abstract

Development of a new fungal assemblage proxy for paleoclimate reconstructions means delineating where the proxy should and should not be applied. Previous work has eliminated deep sea fans. In this work, we explore the relationship of fungal assemblages, both in terms of spore types and assemblage richness, to depositional environments represented by the Heath Fm. to ?Cardalitos? Fm. succession in northwestern Peru. Samples from the lower part of the section, interpreted to be most off-shore contain a sparse, low-diversity assemblage, while the uppermost part of the section, representing a mangrove and surrounding sediments, contains an abundant, diverse assemblage. Fungal assemblages from sediments interpreted as more off-shore contain primarily round amerospores and didymospores; closer to and on-shore, complex phragmospores and bubils occur. Nearest living relative-based paleoclimate reconstructions for the fungal assemblages indicate that better reconstructions are obtained for samples that contain greater taxonomic richness and greater spore shape diversity. We suggest that the fungal proxy should be, as much as possible, restricted to onshore or very nearshore environments.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 55, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2023AM-395088

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