Boglarka Erdei

Pseudodioon akyoli gen. et sp. nov., an extinct member of Cycadales from the Turkish Miocene

Fossil cycadalean leaves recorded from the Miocene plant assemblage of Soma, western Turkey, are described and assigned to an extinct genus and species, Pseudodioon akyoli. Leaf macromorphology suggests affinity with members of the Zamiaceae (subfam. Encephalartoideae), particularly with modern Dioon. Micromorphological features on the other hand indicate affinity with modern Cycas (Cycadaceae). Ordinary cells on the adaxial epidermis are isodiametric and are not differentiated into thick- and thin-walled cells. This is similar to Encephalartoideae-like fossils reported from the Cenozoic of the Northern Hemisphere, and even from the Mesozoic. Shared macromorphological traits of P. akyoli and other coeval Encephalartoideae-like fossil cycadalean leaves from Europe suggest that an extinct group of cycads inhabited southern Europe from the western part of Turkey, through Greece and France to Switzerland in the north during the Oligo-Miocene.

A palm-tree and Sciadopitys swamp-forest from the Neogene of Bresse (eastern France)

Abstract During the Tertiary, a thick sedimentary sequence was accumulated in the Bresse Basin, including some lignite that was locally excavated. Although the palynology of this lignite is relatively well known, the fossil plant macroremains were only poorly studied. Well-preserved material from a new Upper Pliocene (Reuverian) outcrop is reported herein. It allows for palaeoecological and biogeographical reinterpretation. The flora, which includes palm-trees and umbrella pine, is interpreted as a ‘Sequoia-Moor’, i.e. an acidophilic swamp-forest type that had never been evidenced from both micro- and macroremains in France.

PaleoParks - The Protection and Conservation of Fossil Sites World-Wide

The world-famous Vendian (Ediacaran) fossil biota in the White Sea - Arkhangelsk region of Russia contains some of the most exquisite fossils of the earliest macrobiota (560-545 million years old) on Earth. Over 600m of continuously fossiliferous strata consisting of fine sand, silt and mud crop out at many localities along the White Sea. The fossils have been under study for decades in Moscow and that work continues. These fossils represent unusual taxa of early metazoans, algae, microbial mats, and strange sedimentary impressions that represent a very early stage of development of animals on Earth. These unique fossils have been well publicized through exhibitions, newspaper articles, scientific research papers and various web sites. As a result and in spite of their remote location, they are endangered by unauthorized fossil collectors. These paleo-pirates violate local and national laws, destroy fossils and fossil sites, and leave debris and garbage in the area. Some scientific papers are, surprisingly, based on illegally-collected fossils. Other illegal fossils have been offered for sale by commercial fossil dealers, chiefly at meetings or through web purchases. Paleo-piracy of the Vendian biota must be stopped. The collection of fossils has been illegal since February 2000 by the authority of the Administration of the Arkhangelsk Region and the Northern Committee of Natural Resources of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources. Presently, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Federal Security Service are prepared to protect the Vendian localities by arresting pirates. Recommendations to control paleo-piracy in the White Sea region include finalizing the establishment of World Heritage Site status, educating the local people in the values of the fossils and the need for their protection, establishment of a procedure for licensing for the collection of some fossils, and the notification to sellers of Vendian material by Russian authorities that the fossils were obtained illegally and hence are the property of Russia.