Isotopic evidence of C4 grasses in southwestern Europe during the Early Oligocene-Middle Miocene

Abstract

Research Article| December 01, 2010 Isotopic evidence of C4 grasses in southwestern Europe during the Early Oligocene–Middle Miocene Michael A. Urban; Michael A. Urban 1Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David M. Nelson; David M. Nelson * 2University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Appalachian Laboratory, Frostburg, Maryland 21532, USA *E-mails: dmnelson@al.umces.edu; fshu@life.illinois.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno; Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno 3Departamento de Estratigrafia y Paleontologia, Universidad de Granada, Granada 18002, Spain Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jean-Jacques Châteauneuf; Jean-Jacques Châteauneuf 4French Geological Survey Consultant, BRGM (Bureau de Recherche Géologiques et Minières), Avenue de Concyr, 45100 Orléans, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ann Pearson; Ann Pearson 5Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Feng Sheng Hu Feng Sheng Hu * 1Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA6Departments of Plant Biology and Geology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA *E-mails: dmnelson@al.umces.edu; fshu@life.illinois.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Michael A. Urban 1Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA David M. Nelson * 2University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Appalachian Laboratory, Frostburg, Maryland 21532, USA Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno 3Departamento de Estratigrafia y Paleontologia, Universidad de Granada, Granada 18002, Spain Jean-Jacques Châteauneuf 4French Geological Survey Consultant, BRGM (Bureau de Recherche Géologiques et Minières), Avenue de Concyr, 45100 Orléans, France Ann Pearson 5Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA Feng Sheng Hu * 1Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA6Departments of Plant Biology and Geology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA *E-mails: dmnelson@al.umces.edu; fshu@life.illinois.edu. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 11 Feb 2010 Revision Received: 05 Jul 2010 Accepted: 11 Jul 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2010 Geological Society of America Geology (2010) 38 (12): 1091–1094. https://doi.org/10.1130/G31117.1 Article history Received: 11 Feb 2010 Revision Received: 05 Jul 2010 Accepted: 11 Jul 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Michael A. Urban, David M. Nelson, Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno, Jean-Jacques Châteauneuf, Ann Pearson, Feng Sheng Hu; Isotopic evidence of C4 grasses in southwestern Europe during the Early Oligocene–Middle Miocene. Geology 2010;; 38 (12): 1091–1094. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31117.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract C4 plants are widely successful in the grass-dominated ecosystems of tropical, subtropical, and warm-temperate regions, largely as a result of their ability to limit photorespiration and improve water-use efficiency. A widely held paradigm is that low (<∼400 ppm) atmospheric CO2 concentrations were an important factor selecting for the origin of C4 plants, although support in geological records is limited. We determined the carbon isotopic composition of 686 individual grass-pollen grains preserved in eight samples of lacustrine and shallow-marine sediments from three basins spanning the Early Oligocene to Middle Miocene in southwestern Europe. Grasses composed <15% of the total abundance of terrestrial pollen grains, and 26%–62% of the grass pollen was from C4 grasses. Thus C4 grasses occurred on the landscape as early as the earliest Oligocene, ∼14 m.y. earlier than previous isotopic evidence of first C4 plants and before pCO2 fell during the Oligocene. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.