European Palaeobotany and Palynology Conference 2026

During the early Toarcian (~183 Ma), volcanogenic outgassing from the Karoo–Ferrar Large Igneous Province perturbed the global carbon cycle, culminating in the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE). In the Neo-Tethyan realm, this interval is globally tracked by a prominent negative δ¹³C excursion at the base of the Dactylioceras (E.) elegantulum Zone. While the marine expressions of the T-OAE, including widespread dysoxia–anoxia, biocalcification crises, and selective extinctions, are well established, the synchronous response of continental vegetation remains comparatively under-constrained.

Recent palynofloral analyses from Neo‑Tethyan basins have documented a recurrent “fern spike” and shifts in spore–pollen assemblages indicative of canopy collapse, humidity increase, and enhanced wildfire regimes, exhibiting a distinct latitudinal structuring driven by differential climatic forcing across basin margins. To refine the spatial heterogeneity of this floral turnover across the Neo-Tethys, we integrate a new high-resolution palynological dataset from the Iberian Range (Sierra Palomera) with ammonoid biostratigraphy. This approach provides a robust chronostratigraphic framework that clarifies the dynamics, magnitude, and timing of terrestrial biotic responses in the southern sector of the Neo‑Tethyan system during the T-OAE.
Funding/Acknowledgements: This research was funded by the Competitive Reference Group of the Xunta de Galicia (GRC-ED431C 2025/52).