Integrated leaf trait analysis – a new tool for analyzing European Paleogene ecosystems

综合叶片性状分析——分析欧洲古近纪生态系统的新工具

• 批准号: 429520094
• 负责人: Dr. Lutz Kunzmann
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Museum für Mineralogie und Geologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2018-12-31 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/429520094?language=en
• 关键词: Integrated; leaf; trait; analysis; new

The project will be conducted to combine modern approaches for analyzing functional leaf traits and insect damage on leaves for establishing a new meaningful tool for palaeoecological studies of Paleogene leaf assemblages. This new approach named Integrated Leaf Trait Analysis will be introduced to better characterize ecosystem structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, especially those that lack data from animal fossils. Main project aim is the investigation how major environmental alterations, especially climate and floristic changes, impact on plant economics and trophic network in these palaeoecosystems. In particular it deals with the question how these changes influenced functional leaf traits and the interaction between plants and insect herbivores. To figure out and quantify shifts and changes of leaf traits and insect damage on leaves fossil leaf assemblages from three distinct stratigraphic levels, i.e. late Eocene, early Oligocene and late Oligocene, and from two distinct habitats, i.e. the coastal plains of the Palaeo-North Sea and its volcanic-shaped hinterland are selected. Coastal plain fossil assemblages are selected from the central German Leipzig Embayment and assemblages from volcanic-shaped habitats are mainly located in Northern Bohemia. The approximately 13 Ma long time interval includes globally important climate shifts such as the Eocene-Oligocene turnover and the late Oligocene warming which are simultaneously remarkably periods of vegetation change. The two distinct habitats are linked to distinct depositional settings and sedimentary facies types. Expected facies dependencies of leaf traits will be traced and quantified within the three given time intervals. Important morphological and morphometric leaf traits are qualitative parameters such as the determination of the Trait Combination Type and quantitative parameters such as leaf size, leaf mass per area and circularity. The significance of the results should be guaranteed by studying large quantities of specimens which are provided by several public scientific collections in Germany and the Czech Republic. The long-term palaeoecological study addresses three consecutive study aims: (1) recording characteristic pattern of functional leaf traits and insect herbivory for coastal plain assemblages and volcanic-shaped hinterland assemblages, (2) recognizing the impact of climate related changes on functional leaf traits and insect herbivory pattern in both habitat types, and (3) evaluation of the meaningfulness of the fossil record by a case study in a similar extant forest in SW China. It is expected that the investigations support the hypothesis that fossil leaf assemblages only serve as fundamental environmental proxy if leaf traits, insect herbivory and taphonomic processes are coherently investigated. To achieve these goals applicant’s working group collaborates with experienced PIs and their working groups.

该项目将结合现代分析叶片功能性状和叶片虫害的方法，为古近纪叶片组合的古生态研究建立一种新的有意义的工具。这种名为综合叶特征分析的新方法将被引入，以更好地描述陆地生态系统的生态系统结构和功能，特别是那些缺乏动物化石数据的生态系统。主要的项目目标是研究主要的环境变化，特别是气候和植物区系的变化，如何影响这些古生态系统的植物经济和营养网络。特别是，它讨论了这些变化如何影响功能叶特征以及植物和昆虫草食动物之间的相互作用的问题。为了计算和量化叶片性状和虫害对叶片的转移和变化，选择了始新世晚期、渐新世早期和晚渐新世三个不同地层水平和两个不同生境(古北海沿海平原及其火山型腹地)的叶片化石组合。滨海平原化石组合选自德国莱比锡中部地区，火山型生境化石组合主要分布在波西米亚北部。约13个马龙时间间隔包含了全球重要的气候变化，如始新世-渐新世更替和晚渐新世变暖，这两个时期同时是植被变化的显着时期。这两种不同的生境与不同的沉积环境和沉积相类型有关。将在三个给定的时间间隔内跟踪和量化叶片性状的预期相依性。重要的形态和形态测量叶片性状是定性参数，如性状组合类型的确定和定量参数，如叶片大小、单位面积叶质量和圆形度。应通过研究德国和捷克共和国的几个公共科学收藏提供的大量标本来保证研究结果的重要性。长期的古生态研究致力于三个连续的研究目标：(1)记录沿海平原组合和火山型腹地组合的功能叶特征和昆虫食草的特征模式；(2)认识气候变化对这两种生境类型的功能叶特征和昆虫食草模式的影响；(3)通过对中国西南部类似现存森林的实例研究，评估化石记录的意义。预计这些调查将支持这样一种假设，即只有在对叶片性状、昆虫食草性和蚕丝过程进行连贯研究的情况下，化石叶片组合才能作为基本的环境指标。为了实现这些目标，申请人的工作组与有经验的私人投资机构及其工作组合作。