Acta Palaeobotanica 41(2): 283–297, 2001

Changes in the leaves of Fagaceae during the Late Miocene and Pliocene in the Lower Rhine embayment

Summary: A biometrical study of leaf compressions impressions from species of Fagus and Quercus from the Late Miocene and Pliocene deposits reveals a different pattern of behaviour of the species of these genera during the repeated changes of climate that took place during the period of deposition of the sediments. During the cooler periods the populations contracted to relict populations of small extension, during the warmer periods they expanded and filled the entire area. In Fagus these changes did not have any influence on the morphological variation of leaves. Quercus pseudocastanea shows great differences between the succeeding populations in this respect. These populations are as variable as the populations of recent Q. petraea. This variation in populations of Quercus is used for detailed stratigraphical differentiation.

Keywords: leaf, biometry, Fagaceae, Lower Rhine embayment, Neogene