A5085207385- Plant Diversity and Evolution
- Plant and animal studies
- Botanical Research and Applications
- Botany and Geology in Latin America and Caribbean
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism
- Fern and Epiphyte Biology
- Plant and Fungal Species Descriptions
- Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Fish Biology and Ecology Studies
- Plant responses to water stress
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Fish biology, ecology, and behavior
- Scarabaeidae Beetle Taxonomy and Biogeography
- Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Landslides and related hazards
- Ecology and Conservation Studies
- Plant and fungal interactions
- Horticultural and Viticultural Research
- Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Agriculture and Rural Development Research
University of Michigan
2022-2024
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
2011-2023
Universidad del Rosario
2021-2022
Cornell University
2011-2018
Pennsylvania State University
2011-2014
Universidad de Antioquia
2011-2012
The nightshade family Solanaceae holds exceptional economic and cultural importance. early diversification of is thought to have occurred in South America during its separation from Gondwana, but the family's sparse fossil record provides few insights. We report 52.2-million-year-old lantern fruits terminal-Gondwanan Patagonia, featuring highly inflated, five-lobed calyces, as a newly identified species derived, diverse New World genus Physalis (e.g., groundcherries tomatillos). fossils are...
The end-Cretaceous event was catastrophic for terrestrial communities worldwide, yet its long-lasting effect on tropical forests remains largely unknown. We quantified plant extinction and ecological change in resulting from the using fossil pollen (>50,000 occurrences) leaves (>6000 specimens) localities Colombia. Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) rainforests were characterized by an open canopy diverse plant-insect interactions. Plant diversity declined 45% at Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary...
The fossil record demonstrates that past climate changes and extinctions significantly affected the diversity of insect leaf-feeding damage, implying richness damage types reflects unsampled makers, two are correlated through time. However, this relationship has not been quantified for living leaf-chewing insects, whose mouthpart convergence have obscured their value understanding present herbivore diversity. We hypothesized correlation (DTs) maker is directly observable in forests. Using...
• Premise of the study: The clade Bombacoideae + Malvoideae (‘Malvatheca group’ sensu Baum et al.) in Malvaceae comprises a mostly tropical lineage with derived taxa that now thrive higher latitudes. sparse fossil record, especially for Malvoideae, obscures interpretations past distributions. We describe leaves from middle‐late Paleocene Cerrejón Formation Colombia, which contains evidence earliest known neotropical rainforest. Methods: Fifty‐six leaf compressions belonging to were collected...
The early Eocene Laguna del Hunco caldera-lake paleoflora (ca. 52 Ma) from Chubut Province, Argentina, is notably diverse and includes many conifer angiosperm lineages that are extinct in South America but extant Australasian rainforests. No ferns have been previously described Hunco. We describe interpret a new species of fossil Osmundaceae based on fertile sterile pinnae. •The specimens were compared with other living herbarium material published descriptions. A morphological matrix 29...
Leguminosae are one of the most diverse flowering-plant groups today, but evolutionary history family remains obscure because scarce early fossil record, particularly from lowland tropics. Here, we report ~500 compression or impression specimens with distinctive legume features collected Cerrejón and Bogotá Formations, Middle to Late Paleocene Colombia. The were segregated into eight fruit six leaf morphotypes. Two bipinnate morphotypes confidently placed in Caesalpinioideae earliest record...
Fossil leaves of Menispermaceae were previously described from the Paleocene Colombia. Because strong homoplasy leaf characters, fossils could not be placed more specifically within recognized clades, and additional data needed to specify intrafamilial paleogeographic relationships during Paleocene.Fossil endocarps collected Cerrejón Formation, recently discovered Bogotá flora, Wyoming (∼60 Ma). We surveyed endocarp morphology almost all extant genera, conducted character optimization, a...
Although much is known about the hydraulics of xylem, hydraulic interconnectivity and dimensional scaling phloem with respect to xylem in leaves has not been adequately studied test alternative architectural rules such as da Vinci's rule or Murray's rule, physiological models Münch's Pressure Flow hypothesis. Using confocal electron microscopy well mathematical analyses, we examined architecture mature model species Populus tremula × alba across all seven hierarchical orders vascular...
The Pliocene-Pleistocene transition in the Neotropics is poorly understood despite major climatic changes that occurred at onset of Quaternary. San Gregorio Formation, younger unit Urumaco Sequence, preserves a fauna documents this critical transition. We report stingrays, freshwater bony fishes, amphibians, crocodiles, lizards, snakes, aquatic and terrestrial turtles, mammals. A total 49 taxa are reported from Vergel Member (late Pliocene) nine Cocuiza (Early Pleistocene), with 28 18 for...
Morphological and DNA sequence data has been used to propose hypotheses of relationships within the Characiformes with minimal comparative discussion causes underpinning major intraordinal diversification patterns. We explore potential primary morphological factors controlling early process in some Neotropical characiforms as first step identifying contributing pronounced species diversity. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on 16S rDNA (mitochondrial) 18S (nuclear) genes provided framework...
• Premise of the study: Documented fossil floras in neotropics are sparse, yet their records provide evidence on spatial and temporal occurrence taxa, allowing for testing biogeographical diversification scenarios individual lineages. A new Piper from Late Cretaceous Colombia is described here, its importance assessing patterns genus addressed. Methods: Leaf architecture 32 leaf compressions Guaduas Formation was compared with that 294 extant angiosperm species. The phylogenetic position...
PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The hydraulics of xylem has been widely studied in numerous species and organ types. However, comparatively little is known about how phloem are hydraulically coupled or many the basic structural properties (such as conducting cell numbers conductive areas), which nevertheless have direct bearing on understanding loading unloading. METHODS: Using a combination light, epifluorescence, confocal, transmission electron microscopy, we quantified hydraulic architecture Ginkgo...
Abstract The Paleocene‐early Eocene continental magmatic arc (PECMA) in the Northern Andes is an example of magmatism following a major collisional event. This formed after arc‐continent collision between Caribbean Plate and South American margin at ca. 72 Ma. We used detrital zircon LA‐ICP‐MS CA‐ID‐TIMS geochronology geochemistry to complement limited plutonic record PECMA better characterize PECMA's evolution. Zircon their respective trace element were analyzed from strata Bogotá Formation...
Abstract Extant Neotropical rainforests are well known for their remarkable diversity of fruit and seed types. Biotic agents disperse most these disseminules, whereas wind dispersal is less common. Although wind-dispersed fruits seeds greatly overshadowed in closed rainforests, many important families the Neotropics (e.g., Bignoniaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Orchidaceae, Sapindaceae) show numerous morphological adaptations anemochory (i.e. wings, accessory hairs). Most living groups have high...
Plant predation by insects is a major driver of high plant diversity in modern tropical forests. Previous reports leaf damage middle–late Paleocene Neotropical rainforests Cerrejón, Colombia, show that herbivory was abundant but low diversity, mainly inflicted generalized feeders. Here, we present and describe plant-insect associations fossils from the Bogotá Formation, central to test whether abundance richness insect typified early evolving rainforests. The flora records highest frequency...
We examined the spatiotemporal distribution and accumulation of calcium (Ca), potassium (K), zinc (Zn) during growth maturation grey poplar (Populus tremula × alba) leaves covering plastochrons 01 through 10. This period spans sugar sink-to-source transition requires coordinated changes multiple core metabolic processes that likely involve alterations in essential non-essential element distributions as tissues mature effect a reversal phloem flow direction. Whole-leaf elemental maps were...
Extant istiophorids are open ocean apex predators that extensively studied due to their ecological importance and high values for fisheries. Nevertheless, little is known about evolution because of a fragmentary fossil record extremely difficult taxonomy species. Here, we present new phylogenetic hypothesis covering living istiophorids. Our results demonstrate istiophorid richness larger than previously assumed, comprising eight genera with 20 The analysis shows grouped into four clades: the...
Premise of research. Recent classifications Anacardiaceae recognize two subfamilies, Anacardioideae and Spondioideae. Most genera within Spondioideae are still recognized for having drupes with sclerified stones that vary in locule number germination mechanisms. Spondioid fruits have been the Cenozoic fossil record Europe, Asia, North America. However, they remained elusive Neotropics, where today an important component tropical rain forests seasonally dry forests. Here, we describe three...
Premise of research. Melastomataceae are a diverse and primarily tropical family with particularly sparse fossil record. Various biogeographic interpretations based on phylogenies, extant distribution, limited record have placed the origin in either Laurasia or Gondwana (eastern western).Methodology. We describe Xystonia simonae M. Carvalho gen. et sp. nov. basis leaves from middle–late Paleocene deposits Bogotá Formation central Colombia. These characteristic acrodromous venation pattern...
Past typifications of the 27 generic names allied to Salix (Salicaceae) published by Rafinesque in 1817 and 1838 are reconsidered light current rules nomenclature. A lectotype is proposed here for Diplima. Some previously designated as lectotypes corrected neotypes: Diplopia, Disynia, Oisodix, Opodix, Vetrix, Vimen. Full bibliographic citations given each Rafinesque's new or combinations. Amerina balduiniana lectotypified with a Baldwin specimen (ph) from Florida, Vetrix linearifolia, name...