Diversity dynamics of Devonian terrestrial palynofloras from China: Regional and global significance

Zhen Shen , Claude Monnet (1) , Borja Cascales-Miñana (1) , Yiming Gong , Xianghong Dong , David M Kroeck , Thomas Servais (1)

1 Evo-Eco-Paléo (EEP) - Évolution, Écologie et Paléontologie (Evo-Eco-Paleo) - UMR 8198

The microfossil-based pattern of the Devonian land plants of China is revised and discussed based on a newly comprehensive dataset. Such dataset compiles the chronostratigraphical distribution of 1677 species belonging to190 genera of spores and pollen from the primary literature, which recovers the fossil history of Chinese terrestrial palynofloras. From this, we describe the patterns and biodiversity dynamics using both range-based and occurrence-based data to illustrate the main fluctuations of Devonian taxonomic richness, including rarefaction for filtering out uneven sampling. Results show that the apparent terrestrial palynofloral diversity of China increases progressively from the early to mid-Devonian, with a genuine Givetian peak followed by a plateau persisting during the Late Devonian. Results further suggest that sampling effects may strongly influence the perception of biodiversity trends of China, as well as that the observed Late Devonian taxonomic diversification may have been greatly overestimated. Compiled evidence is discussed on the light of the global evolution of marine-terrestrial ecosystems. We hypothesize that the rise of Devonian floras may have played a remarkable role in an oceanic oxygenation event during this Period.

Mots clés: Miospores; Palaeobiodiversity; China; Devonian; Climate change; Miospores

Domaines: Paléontologie

Zhen Shen, Claude Monnet, Borja Cascales-Miñana, Yiming Gong, Xianghong Dong, et al.. Diversity dynamics of Devonian terrestrial palynofloras from China: Regional and global significance. Earth-Science Reviews, 2020, 200, pp.102967. ⟨10.1016/j.earscirev.2019.102967⟩. ⟨hal-03034272⟩