Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2016, Vol. 51 ›› Issue (2): 257-264.DOI: 10.11983/CBB15086  cstr: 32102.14.CBB15086

• SPECIAL TOPICS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research Highlights of the Vegetation, Climate and Atmospheric CO2 in Yushe Basin, Shanxi, North China During the Plio-Pleistocene Transition

Yunjun Bai1,2,7, Xueping Wei1,3,7, Feng Qin4, Yameng Li5, Jinfeng Li1, Parminder S. Ranhotra6, Yufei Wang1,*()   

  1. 1State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
    2Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
    3Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
    4Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Nature Resour- ces Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    5Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276005, China
    6Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow 226007, India
    7University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2015-05-18 Accepted:2015-08-04 Online:2016-03-01 Published:2016-03-31
  • Contact: E-mail: wangyf@ibcas.ac.cn

Abstract: The Plio-Pleistocene transition is a key time interval with a remarkable climate switch from “greenhouse” to “icehouse” conditions across the Tertiary-Quaternary boundary. The plant megafossils, pollen-spores and diatom assemblages found in Plio-Pleistocene deposits of Zhangcun Lake, Yushe Basin, on the eastern edge of the Chinese Loess Plateau, provide a chance to reconstruct and interpret the vegetation, climate and environmental changes in North China. Here we briefly review the discoveries and research history of fossil plants and introduce the recent 5 years’ research highlights of the reconstruction of paleovegetation, paleoclimate, paleoatmospheric CO2 level and paleolake evolution. Those findings during the transition qualitatively and quantitatively (1) reflect a turning point towards cool and dry climate; (2) reveal a high peak of [CO2]atm with a new terrestrial-based proxy of stomatal index on leaves of Typha orientalis, thereby indicating transient interstadial phase; and (3) show a remarkable salinity shift from carbonate to sulfate in Yushe Basin based on the change in diatom assemblages, which indicates a significant aridification about 2.6 Ma on the east Loess Plateau of China.

Key words: climate changes, North China, paleo-CO2, Plio-Pleistocene transition, vegetation, Yushe basin