Eocene scaled chrysophytes with pronounced modern affinities

This is the first documentation of scaled chrysophytes of Tertiary age. Siliceous scales belonging to four genera (Synura,Mallomonas,Chrysosphaerella, andSpiniferomonas) are preserved in middle Eocene (∼47 Ma) lacustrine mudstones deposited in a posteruptive crater associated with kimberlite intrusi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of plant sciences 2005-05, Vol.166 (3), p.533-536
Main Authors: Siver, P.A, Wolfe, A.P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Chrysophyta
Chrysosphaerella
Evolutionary biology
Fossils
Giraffes
Golden brown algae
Lacustrine sediments
Mallomonas
Microfossils
Paleobotany
Peridotite
plant morphology
Sediments
Spiniferomonas
Synura
Taxa
ultrastructure
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Summary:This is the first documentation of scaled chrysophytes of Tertiary age. Siliceous scales belonging to four genera (Synura,Mallomonas,Chrysosphaerella, andSpiniferomonas) are preserved in middle Eocene (∼47 Ma) lacustrine mudstones deposited in a posteruptive crater associated with kimberlite intrusion near Lac de Gras, Northwest Territories, Canada. Astonishingly, most of these microfossils have remarkable morphological affinities with extant congeneric taxa, indicating that the unique siliceous ornamentation of the scaled chrysophytes, including scales, spines, and bristles, was fully evolved by the middle Eocene. These observations imply that the scaled chrysophytes experienced prolonged intervals of relative evolutionary stasis during Neogene and Quaternary times and thus provide a new evolutionary milepost for this algal group.
ISSN:1058-5893
1537-5315
DOI:10.1086/428702