Evidence of White Pine (Pinus subgenus Strobus) Dominance From the Pliocene Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2010
Description
Plant fossils from the Citronelle Formation provide a rare window into the Pliocene flora and climate of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain. Many of the taxa recovered to date inhabit the region today. However, analysis of Pinus pollen grains and fascicles indicates that the dominant pines were members of Pinus subgenus Strobus (i.e., "white pines"). The fascicles have a small, bulbous base lacking a sheath, and bear four or five long, slender needles. These features are typical of white pines. Although macrofossils are rare, 77 to 100% of the dispersed Pinus pollen grains from five localities have sacci continuous with the corpus and verrucae on the cappula, which are characteristics of white pines. This is remarkable, as the northeastern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain today is devoid of white pines, and is instead considered a center of diversity for Pinus subgenus Pinus section Pinus subsection Australes. Today, Pinus strobus is the only white pine in the eastern North America and its southernmost distribution only extends into the mountains of Georgia, about 600 km north of the fossil sites. The historical biogeographic relationships of P. strobus to other North American forms are unclear. For example, its close relative, Pinus chiapensis, is present in northeastern Mexico and Central America. The current disjunction between P. strobus and P. chiapensis is 2400 km and includes an arid barrier to dispersal. P. chiapensis is also associated with several other species showing a similar biogeographic pattern. The fossils described here indicate that white pines were more widespread in North America in the recent geological past than previously thought, and imply possible connections between disjunct species that would not be suspected if only current species' ranges and ecological tolerances were considered.
Citation Information
Stults, Debra Z.; Axsmith, Brian J.; and Liu, Yu Sheng C.. 2010. Evidence of White Pine (Pinus subgenus Strobus) Dominance From the Pliocene Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. Vol.287(1-4). 95-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2010.01.021 ISSN: 0031-0182