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1. Miocene Climatic Optimum fungal record and plant-based CREST climatic reconstruction from southern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

   https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-291-2023  

   Pilie, Mallory; Gibson, Martha E.; Romero, Ingrid C.; Nuñez Otaño, Noelia B.; Pound, Matthew J.; O'Keefe, Jennifer M.; Warny, Sophie (December 2023, Journal of Micropalaeontology)

   Abstract. Deep-time palynological studies are necessary to evaluate plant and fungal distribution under warmer-than-present scenarios such as those of the Middle Miocene. Previous palynological studies from southern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica (SMS), have provided unique documentation for Neogene environments in the Ross Sea region during a time of pronounced global warming. The present study builds on these studies and provides a new climate reconstruction using the previously published SMS pollen and plant spore data. Additionally, 44 SMS samples were reanalyzed with a focus on the fungal fraction of the section to evaluate the fungal distribution under warmer than present conditions. The probability-based climate reconstruction technique (CREST) was applied to provide a new plant-based representation of regional paleoclimate for this Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO) locality. CREST reconstructs a paleoclimate that is warmer and significantly wetter than present in SMS during the MCO, with mean annual precipitation reconstructed at 1147 mm yr−1 (95 % confidence range: 238–2611 mm yr−1) and a maximum mean annual temperature of 10.3 ∘C (95 % confidence range: 2.0–20.2 ∘C) for the warmest intervals of the MCO. The CREST reconstruction fits within the Cfb Köppen–Geiger climate class during the MCO of SMS. This new reconstruction agrees with previous reconstructions using various geochemical proxies. The fungal palynological analyses yielded surprising results, with only a single morphotype recovered, in low abundance, with concentrations ranging up to 199 fungi per gram of dried sediment. The taxa present belongs to the Apiosporaceae family and are known to be adapted to a wide range of climate and environmental conditions. As fungi are depauperate members of the SMS MCO palynofloras and because the one morphotype recovered is cosmopolitan, using the fungi record to confirm a narrow Köppen–Geiger climate class is impossible. Overall, the study demonstrates refinement of plant-based paleoclimatic reconstructions and sheds light on the limited presence of fungi during the MCO in Antarctica. 

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2. Climatic limit for agriculture in Brazil

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01214-3  

   Rattis, Ludmila; Brando, Paulo M.; Macedo, Marcia N.; Spera, Stephanie A.; Castanho, Andrea D.; Marques, Eduardo Q.; Costa, Nathane Q.; Silverio, Divino V.; Coe, Michael T. (December 2021, Nature Climate Change)
3. Southern Ocean warming and its climatic impacts

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2023.03.049  

   Cai, Wenju; Gao, Libao; Luo, Yiyong; Li, Xichen; Zheng, Xiaotong; Zhang, Xuebin; Cheng, Xuhua; Jia, Fan; Purich, Ariaan; Santoso, Agus; et al (May 2023, Science Bulletin)
4. How will climatic warming affect insect pollinators?

   https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aiip.2023.01.001  

   Johnson, Meredith G.; Glass, Jordan; Dillon, Michael E.; Harrison, Jon F. (March 2023, Advances in insect physiology)
5. Geological and climatic influences on mountain biodiversity

   https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0236-z  

   Antonelli, A. (January 2018, Nature geoscience)

   Mountains are key features of the Earth’s surface and host a substantial proportion of the world’s species. However, the links between the evolution and distribution of biodiversity and the formation of mountains remain poorly understood. Here, we integrate multiple datasets to assess the relationships between species richness in mountains, geology and climate at global and regional scales. Specifically, we analyse how erosion, relief, soil and climate relate to the geographical distribution of ter- restrial tetrapods, which include amphibians, birds and mammals. We find that centres of species richness correlate with areas of high temperatures, annual rainfall and topographic relief, supporting previous studies. We unveil additional links between mountain-building processes and biodiversity: species richness correlates with erosion rates and heterogeneity of soil types, with a varying response across continents. These additional links are prominent but under-explored, and probably relate to the interplay between surface uplift, climate change and atmospheric circulation through time. They are also influenced by the location and orientation of mountain ranges in relation to air circulation patterns, and how species diversification, dispersal and refugia respond to climate change. A better understanding of biosphere–lithosphere interactions is needed to understand the patterns and evolution of mountain biodiversity across space and time. 

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