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Surprisingly complex community discovered in the mid-Devonian fossil forest at Gilboa

Nature volume 483, pages 78–81 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

The origin of trees by the mid-Devonian epoch (398–385 million years ago) signals a major change in terrestrial ecosystems with potential long-term consequences including increased weathering, drop in atmospheric CO2, modified climate, changes in sedimentation patterns and mass extinction1,2,3. However, little is known about the ecology of early forests or how changes in early terrestrial ecosystems influenced global processes. One of the most famous palaeontological records for this time is the ‘oldest fossil forest’ at Riverside Quarry, Gilboa, New York, USA, discovered in the 1920s4,5. Hundreds of large Eospermatopteris sandstone casts, now thought to represent the bases of standing cladoxylopsid trees6, were recovered from a horizon that was originally interpreted as a muddy swamp. After quarry operations ceased, relatively minor outcrops of similar fossils at nearby localities have provided limited opportunities to evaluate this pervasive view using modern methods7,8. In 2010, removal of the quarry backfill enabled reappraisal of the palaeoecology of this important site. Here we describe a 1,200 m2 map showing numerous Eospermatopteris root systems in life position within a mixed-age stand of trees. Unexpectedly, large woody rhizomes with adventitious roots and aerial branch systems identified as aneurophytalean progymnosperms run between, and probably climb into, Eospermatopteris trees. We describe the overall habit for these surprisingly large aneurophytaleans, the earliest fossil group having wood produced by a bifacial vascular cambium. The site also provides evidence for arborescence within lycopsids, extending the North American range for trees in this ecologically critical group. The rooting horizon is a dark grey sandy mudstone showing limited root penetration. Although clearly belonging to a wetland coastal plain environment9, the forest was probably limited in duration and subject to periodic disturbance. These observations provide fundamental clarification of the palaeoecology of this mixed-group early forest, with important implications for interpreting coeval assemblage data worldwide.

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Figure 1: Eospermatopteris cast, moulds and root system, Riverside Quarry, New York, USA.
Figure 2: Plan map of part of the quarry floor showing original rooting horizon.
Figure 3: Aneurophytalean rhizomes.
Figure 4: Arborescent lycopsid.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support was provided by the New York State Museum. C.M.B. acknowledges support from the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grant NE/F010699/1. Permission to work at the site by New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is acknowledged. On-site and other assistance was provided by E. Chase, P. Costa and G. Heath (DEP), as well as by P. Kollak and C. Tompkins of the Thalle Construction Company. We also thank P. Wright for advice and guidance on the major palaeosol horizon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, New York, 13902-6000, USA

    William E. Stein

  2. School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3YE, UK

    Christopher M. Berry

  3. New York State Museum, Albany, 12230, New York, USA

    Linda VanAller Hernick & Frank Mannolini

Authors
  1. William E. Stein
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  2. Christopher M. Berry
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  3. Linda VanAller Hernick
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  4. Frank Mannolini
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Contributions

L.V.H. and F. M. were responsible for collections and analysis, W.E.S. for mapping, C.M.B. for geological section, and W.E.S. and C.M.B. for palaeoecological interpretation. W.E.S. led the writing of the paper with substantial contributions from C.M.B.

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Correspondence to William E. Stein.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

This file contains a Supplementary Discussion comprising: Survey data and site comparison; Geology, palaeoenvironmental setting and age; Use of names for the fossil remains; Criteria for recognizing Eospermatopteris root systems; Difficulties in estimating height for Eospermatopteris trees; Identity of aneurophytaleans at Gilboa; Aneurophytalean rhizome compression collected by Goldring; The arborescent lycopsid at Gilboa and Supplementary References. Supplementary Figures 1-27 with legends are also included. (PDF 10436 kb)

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Stein, W., Berry, C., Hernick, L. et al. Surprisingly complex community discovered in the mid-Devonian fossil forest at Gilboa. Nature 483, 78–81 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10819

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