Geological Society of America

51 Undergraduate Research Poster Session II (Posters)

Tuesday, 16 April 2024
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Grand Ballroom

MIOCENE FUNGI FROM THE AMAZONAS REGION OF PERU: PRELIMINARY PALEOCLIMATIC AND PALEOECOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTIONS

Paper number: 51-13
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Authors

Liberty Smallwood Presenting Author
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
L. Olivia VanderEspt
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
Christopher Marsh
Department Engineering Sciences, Morehead, KY
Juan-Felipe Montenegro
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia UPCH, San Martín de Porres, Lima
Diana Ochoa
University of Salamanca, Salamanca
Matthew J. Pound
Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne
Jennifer O'Keefe
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY

Abstract

Miocene sediments in the western Amazonas region record a unique mega-wetland ecosystem known as the Pebas System. This system existed under wetter and warmer than present conditions, prior to the final Andean uplift. Though the palynological record in the region has been studied extensively, fungal diversity remains poorly explored. Fungal remains from the Brazilian Amazonas have been identified to form-taxa only, without providing ecological or paleoclimatic information. We examine fossil-rich sediments from northeastern Peru that were deposited ca. 16.5 Ma, and therefore document the Miocene Climate Optimum warming. Here, the Fungi in a Warmer World (FIAWW) team applies the nearest living relative method to analyze preserved fungal remains, aiming to develop, for the first time, a fungi-based paleoclimatic reconstruction to be compared with existing plant-based counterparts. We further enhance the understanding of tropical fungal paleoecology, providing new insights to refine existing reconstructions for continental to marginal marine forested areas.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 56, No. 2

doi: 10.1130/abs/2024SE-398397

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