Wood of Qualea from the Piedra Chamana in-situ fossil forest (late Middle Eocene, Peru) and the comparative wood anatomy of Vochysiaceae and Myrtaceae

What is it about?

Wood from a Fossil Forest Tree Provides Insight about Tropical Biodiversity and the History of South American Tropical Forests_x000D_ _x000D_ One of the most compelling questions in biology is understanding the high biodiversity in the tropics and how world’s tropical forests came into existence. Fossils are one source of information about vegetation and environments of the past. This study analyzes the wood from a tropical forest tree that was buried 39 million years ago when a volcano in Peru erupted explosively, sending volcanic ash over a wide area. Later the wood was fossilized and the organic matter was replaced with minerals that preserve the anatomical details of the wood. It is possible to study the anatomical structure of the wood and determine what type of tree it was. In the case of this wood, it can be identified to a genus in the tropical family Vochysiaceae, which has many representatives in the present-day tropical forests of South America. Information from this fossil provides insight into the evolution of this family and the history of South American tropical forests.

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