Environmental analysis of the mid-latitudinal European Eocene sites of plant macrofossils and their possible analogues in East Asia

Abstract

Previously known Eocene floras of mid-latitudinal Europe are analysed using statistical methodologies in order to obtain more reliable palaeoclimatological signals to detect possible climatic fluctuations during this time interval. Only macrofossil assemblages have been taken into account and subjected to the statistical evaluation called the Integrated Plant Record (IPR) vegetation analysis, which is based mostly on percentages of various components. Additional palaeoclimatic approaches were employed, namely the Coexistence Approach, based on autecology of the nearest living relatives, and the physiognomic methods of the Leaf Margin Analysis and Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP). The same statistical approaches have been applied to analogous living vegetation of China and Japan for comparative purposes. Additionally, an update of objective statistical tools for the selection of the best-suited modern vegetation CLAMP dataset from 144 site (Physg3br/GRIDMet3br), 173 (Physg3ar/GRIDMet3ar) and 189 (PhysgAsia1/GRIDMetAsia1) extant biotopes is proposed including its “copy & paste” Excel application.