Plant-arthropod associations from the Lower Miocene of the Most Basin in northern Bohemia (Czech Republic)
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
The Lower Miocene of the Lagerstätte Bílina Mine in the Most Basin, Czech Republic provides a unique view into a Neogene freshwater ecosystem. And record a time of significant changes in climate, biodiversity, and floral and faunal composition. The study contributes to palaeenvironmental, plaeoclimatic, and palaeoecological reconstruction by providing new information on insect diversity and plant-insect interactions. The Bílina Mine collection comprises material from 23 fossiliferous layers belonging to three different horizons [Clayey Superseam Horizon (CSH), Delta Sandy Horizon (DSH), Lake Clayey Horizon (LCH)]. These horizons correspond to three different ecosystems. More than 4.300 specimens of plant compression fossils have been examined. A comparison of both horizons confirmed the differences in the character of their respective habitats. In comparison with DSH, LCH appears to be drier habitat with unevenly distributed rainfall and with lower overall diversity of all types of damage. A significant difference in diversity of different groups of damage, with the exception of specialized damage was not confirmed. However, the presence of galling in LCH shows a much higher frequency, suggesting drier conditions of this habitat. Taxonomic composition of insect causers played an important role as well, because they were represented by taxa of high population density and specialized on a thin spectrum of host plants. From the initial presumptions the positive correlation of the overall damage frequency with increasing taxonomic diversity of host plants was confirmed. Diversity is significantly higher in DSH: (1) in the case of all types of damage rarified for the bulk horizon data sets, and (2) in the case of specialized damage types rarified to the number of single damage occurrences. After comparison of the horizons based on eight most abundant taxa, the result shows the most important factor for the varying levels of the damage diversity and its interspecific variability among the taxa. The habitat conditions of the horizon itself seem to be less influenced than it is in case of the horizon represented by all taxa. Furthermore, the link between climate habitat characters was confirmed and documented by taxonomic composition of the host plants and their average LMA together with frequency of distinct FFG, especially galling. The number of gall occurrences, which is higher in during drier conditions. Overall, in the context of herbivory interaction, there are two main differences between the two horizons: (1) in case of damage frequency and the proportion of leaves affected by different types of functional feeding groups (number of distinct DT per leaf), and (2) in case of the diversity of selected groups of damage types. This applies especially to the results obtained by rarefaction to the number of fossil leaves. Diversity of selected damage types rarified to the number of occurrences with the corresponding damage type was significantly different in case of specialized types of damage. This applies to the horizons as a whole and even after the separation of the influence of plant species composition and influence by the species autecology. The considerable variability is probably affected by individual plant taxa autecology (intraspecific variability in the observed diversity) rather than the environmental conditions reflecting both horizons.
Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)
- (2010): Plant-arthropod associations from the Lower Miocene of the Most Basin in northern Bohemia (Czech Republic).– In: Ren, D. (Ed.): 5th International Conference on Fossil Insects, Abstract & Program book: 145, Capital Normal University, Beiing, China
Knor, S., Wappler, T., Kvaček, Z. & Prokop, J.
- (2010): Plant-arthropod associations from the Lower Miocene of the Most Basin in northern Bohemia (Czech Republic): A preliminary report.– Acta Geologica Sinica, 84 (4): 903-914
Prokob, J., Wappler, T., Knor, S. & Kvaček, Z.
- (2011): Plant-Arthropod associations from the Early Miocene of the Most Basin in North Bohemia – Palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological implications.– In: Sierro, F.J., Gonzalez, J.A. (Eds.): Climate Changes, Bioevents and Geochronology in the Atlantic and Mediterranean over the last 23 Myr, RCMNS/RCANS Interim Colloquium Salamanca, Spain
Wappler, T., Prokop, J., Knor, S. & Kvaček, Z.
