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Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region

2010; Geological Society of America; Volume: 38; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1130/g30557.1

1943-2682

Silvia N. Césari, Pere Busquets, Ferrán Colombo Piñol, Isabel Méndez Bedia, Carlos O. Limarino,

Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Research Article| April 01, 2010 Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region S.N. Césari; S.N. Césari * 1Museo de Ciencias Naturales "B. Rivadavia" Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, 1405 Buenos Aires, Argentina *E-mail: scesari@macn.gov.ar. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar P. Busquets; P. Busquets 2Departamento Estratigrafía, Paleontología i Geociències Marines, Facultad Geología, Universitat de Barcelona, C/Martí i Franqués s/n, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar F. Colombo Piñol; F. Colombo Piñol 2Departamento Estratigrafía, Paleontología i Geociències Marines, Facultad Geología, Universitat de Barcelona, C/Martí i Franqués s/n, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar I. Méndez Bedia; I. Méndez Bedia 3Departamento de Geología (Paleontología), Facultad de Geología, Universidad de Oviedo, Spain Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar C.O. Limarino C.O. Limarino 4Departamento de Geología, Pabellón 2, (1428) Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad de Buenos, Aires, Argentina Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information S.N. Césari * 1Museo de Ciencias Naturales "B. Rivadavia" Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, 1405 Buenos Aires, Argentina P. Busquets 2Departamento Estratigrafía, Paleontología i Geociències Marines, Facultad Geología, Universitat de Barcelona, C/Martí i Franqués s/n, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain F. Colombo Piñol 2Departamento Estratigrafía, Paleontología i Geociències Marines, Facultad Geología, Universitat de Barcelona, C/Martí i Franqués s/n, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain I. Méndez Bedia 3Departamento de Geología (Paleontología), Facultad de Geología, Universidad de Oviedo, Spain C.O. Limarino 4Departamento de Geología, Pabellón 2, (1428) Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad de Buenos, Aires, Argentina *E-mail: scesari@macn.gov.ar. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 23 Jul 2009 Revision Received: 15 Oct 2009 Accepted: 23 Oct 2009 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2010 Geological Society of America Geology (2010) 38 (4): 295–298. https://doi.org/10.1130/G30557.1 Article history Received: 23 Jul 2009 Revision Received: 15 Oct 2009 Accepted: 23 Oct 2009 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation S.N. Césari, P. Busquets, F. Colombo Piñol, I. Méndez Bedia, C.O. Limarino; Nurse logs: An ecological strategy in a late Paleozoic forest from the southern Andean region. Geology 2010;; 38 (4): 295–298. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G30557.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Decaying logs on the forest floor can act as "nurse logs" for new seedlings, helping with the regeneration of the vegetation. Fossil evidence of this ecological strategy is exceptionally well preserved in the Argentinean Andes, where an ∼300 m.y. old permineralized forest was found at 3000 m elevation in San Juan Province. The fossil trunks, some of them in life position, are intercalated between volcanic rocks and sediments deposited in flooded environments (probably coastal lagoons). More than 100 specimens studied allow us to suggest the dominance of only one tree species in the forest. The first issue of the research was to determine the means used by the vegetation to survive in such adverse environmental conditions. Fossil evidence supports the hypothesis of regeneration via nurse logs. Little rootlets preserved inside the wood of several specimens indicate that seedlings developed on these logs. Important additional information provided by the fossils is the presence of aerenchymatic tissue in the rootlets. Aerenchyma tissue is a common feature developed in plants living in flooded environments; therefore its recognition in the fossil forest helps in the ecological interpretation. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.