Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region

Decaying logs on the forest oor can act as "nurse logs" for new seedlings, helping with the regeneration of the vegetation. Fossil evidence of this ecological strategy is exceptionally well preserved in the Argentinean Andes, where an ̃300 m.y. old permineralized forest was found at 3000 m...

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Publicado: 2010
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Acceso en línea:https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00917613_v38_n4_p295_Cesari
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00917613_v38_n4_p295_Cesari
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spelling paper:paper_00917613_v38_n4_p295_Cesari2023-06-08T15:08:12Z Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region Aerenchyma Andean Region Coastal lagoons Common features Environmental conditions In-plants Late Paleozoic Tree species Ecology Nursing Vegetation Volcanic rocks Reforestation dominance environmental conditions fossil assemblage paleoecology Paleozoic regeneration root system seedling Ecology Plants Reforestation Rock Volcanism Argentina San Juan [Argentina] Decaying logs on the forest oor can act as "nurse logs" for new seedlings, helping with the regeneration of the vegetation. Fossil evidence of this ecological strategy is exceptionally well preserved in the Argentinean Andes, where an ̃300 m.y. old permineralized forest was found at 3000 m elevation in San Juan Province. The fossil trunks, some of them in life position, are intercalated between volcanic rocks and sediments deposited in ooded environments (probably coastal lagoons). More than 100 specimens studied allow us to suggest the dominance of only one tree species in the forest. The rst issue of the research was to determine the means used by the vegetation to survive in such adverse environmental conditions. Fossil evidence supports the hypothesis of regeneration via nurse logs. Little rootlets preserved inside the wood of several specimens indicate that seedlings developed on these logs. Important additional information provided by the fossils is the presence of aerenchymatic tissue in the rootlets. Aerenchyma tissue is a common feature developed in plants living in ooded environments; therefore its recognition in the fossil forest helps in the ecological interpretation. © 2010 Geological Society of America. 2010 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00917613_v38_n4_p295_Cesari http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00917613_v38_n4_p295_Cesari
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Aerenchyma
Andean Region
Coastal lagoons
Common features
Environmental conditions
In-plants
Late Paleozoic
Tree species
Ecology
Nursing
Vegetation
Volcanic rocks
Reforestation
dominance
environmental conditions
fossil assemblage
paleoecology
Paleozoic
regeneration
root system
seedling
Ecology
Plants
Reforestation
Rock
Volcanism
Argentina
San Juan [Argentina]
spellingShingle Aerenchyma
Andean Region
Coastal lagoons
Common features
Environmental conditions
In-plants
Late Paleozoic
Tree species
Ecology
Nursing
Vegetation
Volcanic rocks
Reforestation
dominance
environmental conditions
fossil assemblage
paleoecology
Paleozoic
regeneration
root system
seedling
Ecology
Plants
Reforestation
Rock
Volcanism
Argentina
San Juan [Argentina]
Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region
topic_facet Aerenchyma
Andean Region
Coastal lagoons
Common features
Environmental conditions
In-plants
Late Paleozoic
Tree species
Ecology
Nursing
Vegetation
Volcanic rocks
Reforestation
dominance
environmental conditions
fossil assemblage
paleoecology
Paleozoic
regeneration
root system
seedling
Ecology
Plants
Reforestation
Rock
Volcanism
Argentina
San Juan [Argentina]
description Decaying logs on the forest oor can act as "nurse logs" for new seedlings, helping with the regeneration of the vegetation. Fossil evidence of this ecological strategy is exceptionally well preserved in the Argentinean Andes, where an ̃300 m.y. old permineralized forest was found at 3000 m elevation in San Juan Province. The fossil trunks, some of them in life position, are intercalated between volcanic rocks and sediments deposited in ooded environments (probably coastal lagoons). More than 100 specimens studied allow us to suggest the dominance of only one tree species in the forest. The rst issue of the research was to determine the means used by the vegetation to survive in such adverse environmental conditions. Fossil evidence supports the hypothesis of regeneration via nurse logs. Little rootlets preserved inside the wood of several specimens indicate that seedlings developed on these logs. Important additional information provided by the fossils is the presence of aerenchymatic tissue in the rootlets. Aerenchyma tissue is a common feature developed in plants living in ooded environments; therefore its recognition in the fossil forest helps in the ecological interpretation. © 2010 Geological Society of America.
title Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region
title_short Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region
title_full Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region
title_fullStr Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region
title_full_unstemmed Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region
title_sort nurse logs: an ecological strategy in a late paleozoic forest from the southern andean region
publishDate 2010
url https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00917613_v38_n4_p295_Cesari
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00917613_v38_n4_p295_Cesari
_version_ 1768543222531883008