Integrated leaf trait analysis – a new tool for analyzing European Paleogene ecosystems

• Applicant: Dr. Lutz Kunzmann
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 429520094

The project will be conducted to combine modern approaches for analyzing functional leaf traits and insect damage on leaves for establishing a new meaningful tool for palaeoecological studies of Paleogene leaf assemblages. This new approach named Integrated Leaf Trait Analysis will be introduced to better characterize ecosystem structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, especially those that lack data from animal fossils. Main project aim is the investigation how major environmental alterations, especially climate and floristic changes, impact on plant economics and trophic network in these palaeoecosystems. In particular it deals with the question how these changes influenced functional leaf traits and the interaction between plants and insect herbivores. To figure out and quantify shifts and changes of leaf traits and insect damage on leaves fossil leaf assemblages from three distinct stratigraphic levels, i.e. late Eocene, early Oligocene and late Oligocene, and from two distinct habitats, i.e. the coastal plains of the Palaeo-North Sea and its volcanic-shaped hinterland are selected. Coastal plain fossil assemblages are selected from the central German Leipzig Embayment and assemblages from volcanic-shaped habitats are mainly located in Northern Bohemia. The approximately 13 Ma long time interval includes globally important climate shifts such as the Eocene-Oligocene turnover and the late Oligocene warming which are simultaneously remarkably periods of vegetation change. The two distinct habitats are linked to distinct depositional settings and sedimentary facies types. Expected facies dependencies of leaf traits will be traced and quantified within the three given time intervals. Important morphological and morphometric leaf traits are qualitative parameters such as the determination of the Trait Combination Type and quantitative parameters such as leaf size, leaf mass per area and circularity. The significance of the results should be guaranteed by studying large quantities of specimens which are provided by several public scientific collections in Germany and the Czech Republic. The long-term palaeoecological study addresses three consecutive study aims: (1) recording characteristic pattern of functional leaf traits and insect herbivory for coastal plain assemblages and volcanic-shaped hinterland assemblages, (2) recognizing the impact of climate related changes on functional leaf traits and insect herbivory pattern in both habitat types, and (3) evaluation of the meaningfulness of the fossil record by a case study in a similar extant forest in SW China. It is expected that the investigations support the hypothesis that fossil leaf assemblages only serve as fundamental environmental proxy if leaf traits, insect herbivory and taphonomic processes are coherently investigated. To achieve these goals applicant’s working group collaborates with experienced PIs and their working groups.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: China
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Tao Su