Triassic and Early Jurassic fossil floras from North Victoria Land, Antarctica: palaeobiology, paleoecology and stratigraphy

虽然南极的其他地区已经发现了保存相当完好的中生代植物化石矿床，但在北维多利亚地的同时期地层中几乎没有发现任何植物化石。在第八次德国南极北维多利亚陆地考察期间，从十几个新发现的三叠纪和侏罗纪化石地点收集了植物材料，目前正在进行研究。这些植物群是特别有趣的，因为压缩产生了保存完好的角质层，而且还发现了解剖学上保存的物质。特别是具有角质层的压缩植物群在南极极其罕见。本项目的目的是：(1)基于角质层和解剖保存的材料对新发现的植物区系进行系统的研究；(2)对这些植物区系进行古生态和气候的解释；(3)建立更详细的横贯南极山脉中生代沉积序列的生物地层格架。因此，这项研究将有助于更好地了解盘古大陆分裂初期东南极洲的古环境变化。

While other regions of the Antarctic have yielded reasonably well-preserved Mesozoic plant fossil deposits, hardly any fossil floras were known from coeval strata of North Victoria Land. During the IXth German Antarctic North Victoria Land Expedition plant material from a dozen newly discovered Triassic and Jurassic fossil localities has been collected and is currently studied. These floras are of special interest, because compressions yield excellently preserved cuticles and also anatomically preserved material has been found. Particularly cuticle-bearing compression floras are extremely rare in the Antarctic. The aims of this project are: (1) a systematic study of the newly discovered floras, based on cuticles and anatomically preserved material, (2) palaeoecological and -climatological interpretations of these floras, and (3) the establishment of a more detailed biostratigraphic framework for the Mesozoic sedimentary sequence in the Transantarctic Mountains. This study will thus contribute to a better understanding of the palaeoenvironmental changes in East Antarctica during the earliest phase of the break-up of Pangea.