Palynological Investigations of Selected Microfloras from the Cenozoic of Eurasia

Abstract

The present study was confined to investigate the selected palynomorphs from the Cenozoic of Eurasia using microscopic techniques to understand the climatic changes and vegetation’s evolution. Sedimentary rock samples have been collected from Miocene Murree formation Islamabad, Murree, Kohat, Paleocene Patala formation Patala Nala within Salt range Punjab and Eocene Insect limestone Isle of Wights, United Kingdom. The samples were analyzed using the procedure of palynostratigraphic analyses and single grain method. Qualitative and quantitative features of the pollen were examined which helps in the identification of pollen. In this palynological study various samples were collected, analyzed, and then identified the palynomorphs using different previous and modern published literature. Botanical affinities and systematic description of the species were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy. Asteraceae was recorded as the dominant family and Pinus as a genus in the floral record of Miocene, Arecaceae in the Paleocene Patala formation Pakistan and Styraceae in insect limestone United Kingdom. Most of the angiosperms i.e Fabaceae and Poaceae have a poor fossil record but have an abundant palynological record in the study area. Palynomorphs are used as an investigative tool to examine the environmental fluctuations and their effects on the vegetations of a study area. By compiling the previously published literature of sporomorph data obtained from Eurasia compared with modern plants the palynoflora succession was developed. The current research work helps to find out the dominant vegetations within the Cenozoic (66 million years ago until today) of Eurasia. Most of the taxa studied here had a wide geographical occurrence in Eurasia and shows the abundance of angiosperms within this epoch. Highest polar diameter (75.75 μm), colpus length (34.5 μm) and colpus width (31 μm) were examined for the Convolvulus. This study provides evidence that in Paleogene times diverse rainforest vegetations were present in the Indian subcontinent and now restricted in some parts of the northern areas. Based on the palynoflora, the paleovegetation and vegetation units could be reconstructed for different time periods of the Cenozoic in the region of selected Formations along with paleoclimate in the potential recent analogues of the past vegetations. The study provides information about the vegetation's origin and environmental changes within the study area and to reconstruct it