Sprecher
Beschreibung
Keywords: Angiosperms, Paleoecology, Palynostratigraphy, Phytogeography, Western Tethys
The Late Cretaceous witnessed a major ecological radiation of angiosperms, marking a fundamental transition from gymnosperm-dominated to angiosperm-dominated terrestrial ecosystems. Despite its significance, the European paleobotanical record for the Coniacian–Santonian interval remains scarce, largely constrained by the paucity of coeval terrestrial deposits. In this context, the Iberian Basin provides a valuable setting to investigate middle Late Cretaceous floras through continental and proximal marine successions.Here, we present a palynological analysis of the Caballar and Montejo formations from the western sectors of the basin (Guadalix de la Sierra and Soto del Real areas, northern Madrid). Both palynofloras are heavily dominated by Normapolles angiosperm pollen. Identified taxa include Atlantopollis verrucosus, Complexiopollis spp., Hungaropollis krutzschii, Longanulipollis coronatus, Trudopollis fossulotrudens, Minorpollis minimus, Triangulipollis sp, Tenerina sp., Classopollis sp., and Araucariacites sp. The composition of these assemblages suggests that Normapolles-producing angiosperms already constituted a major component of the plant communities thriving in the warm tropical lowlands of the Iberian region during the Coniacian–Santonian. Furthermore, the palynological data from the lower Montejo Formation firmly constrains a late Santonian age for the Soto del Real succession, successfully refining previous interpretations based solely on lithostratigraphical correlation.
Funding/Acknowledgements: This research was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Gobierno de España) through the research project PID2023-148083NB-I00, and by the Competitive Reference Group of the Xunta de Galicia (GRC-ED431C 2025/52).