Biotic response to Early Cretaceous climate warming in Hebei, northern China: Implications for the phased development of the Jehol Biota
Introduction
The Jehol Biota existed in the middle Early Cretaceous; its known fossil localities are distributed mainly in western Liaoning, northern Hebei, and southeastern Inner Mongolia, China, and they yield a large number of well-preserved fossils of various terrestrial organisms (Chang et al., 2003; Zhou et al., 2003; Zhou, 2014; Ji et al., 2004; Huang et al., 2012; Xu et al., 2020). These assemblages represent the best-preserved terrestrial fossil assemblage from the Cretaceous, indicating the origin and early evolution of Mesozoic life (Xu et al., 2020; Zhou et al., 2021). Research on this biota bears great significance for our understanding of the origin and early evolution of some major groups, e.g., eutherian and metatherian mammals, birds, many subgroups of insects, and angiosperms (Chang et al., 2003; Zhou and Wang, 2017). The Jehol Biota is generally divided into three phases: the early phase is restricted to northern Hebei (the Dabeigou and Huajiying Formations), and its main features include a small number of component species and a lack of widely known typical elements (Jin et al., 2008; Yang et al., 2020; Zhou et al., 2021); the middle phase (the Yixian Formation) is the peak in terms of taxonomical diversity; and the late phase (the Jiufotang Formation) is characterized by the maximum geographical distribution of the biota (Chen, 1988; Zhou, 2006; Li et al., 2007) (Fig. 1).
Paleoclimate change may play an important role as a background factor that led to the phased evolution of the Jehol Biota (e.g., Ohta et al., 2011). However, compared with the study of the sedimentary period of the Yixian and Jiufotang Formations in western Liaoning, the study of biotic radiation and ecosystem evolution during the early development of the Jehol Biota is obviously relatively weak (e.g., Amiot et al., 2011; Ohta et al., 2011; Yang et al., 2013; Ding et al., 2016; Zhang et al., 2021a). In addition, the Early Cretaceous strata in northern Hebei still need to be further investigated and correlated. For example, the precise division and correlation among the Dabeigou and Dadianzi Formations (DDFs) in the Luanping Basin, the Huajiying Formation in the Senjitu-Sichakou Basin and the Yixian Formation in western Liaoning are still controversial (Ji, 2002; Tian et al., 2004a; Jin et al., 2008; Wang and Ji, 2009; Niu et al., 2015; Pan et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2021b; Yu et al., 2021b). These problems restrict our understanding of the early radiation evolution of the Jehol Biota and its relationship with climate changes, especially how the biota in this period changed from the atypical Jehol Biota in the sedimentary period of the Dabeigou Formation to the typical Jehol Biota in the sedimentary period of the Dadianzi Formation.
Climate change, especially temperature, has a significant impact on the evolution of biota (e.g., Zhao et al., 2020). Temperature is an important parameter for diversification and species coexistence in plant and animal communities (Peters et al., 2016). However, only a few studies have preliminarily discussed the relationship between paleoclimatic and environmental changes and faunal turnover during the early development of the Jehol Biota via geochemical and sporopollen evidence (e.g., Zou et al., 2008; Ohta et al., 2011; Qin et al., 2021a; Yu et al., 2021b). For instance, Ohta et al. (2011) and Qin et al. (2021a) preliminarily proposed that the increasingly warm paleoclimate may have acted as one of the important factors that contributed to the early development of the Jehol Biota. However, the abundant lacustrine biota that are sensitive to paleoecological changes still lack in-depth research, especially in regard to their paleoclimatic aspects.
Microbiota, such as ostracods, are relatively abundant, rapidly evolving, and easily preserved as fossils during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic period and thus provide an excellent opportunity to evaluate the relation between biotic evolution and climate change (Hou et al., 2002; Sames and Horne, 2012; Smith et al., 2015; Marchegiano et al., 2020). For instance, the body size of some lacustrine biota, such as ostracods, seems tightly linked to the temperature conditions, i.e., they evolve to smaller body sizes when the temperature increases (e.g., Hunt and Roy, 2006; Hunt et al., 2010; Merckx et al., 2018). The Lower Cretaceous DDFs and their equivalent strata in northern Hebei yield abundant, well-preserved and continuously present ostracods, spinicaudatans, spores and pollen, and other fossils, thereby providing a unique opportunity to reveal the early evolutionary radiation process of the Jehol Biota and its relation with climate change.
Section snippets
Luanping Basin
The Luanping Basin is one of the small, terrestrial extensional basins in the Yanshan structural belt (Fig. 1), and it formed during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous as a result of tectonic and magmatic activities (Wu et al., 2000, Wu et al., 2004; Zhang et al., 2007; Wei et al., 2012). The paleolatitude of the Luanping Basin (North China Block) during the Early Cretaceous was approximately 40–50°N, which is slightly higher than its present latitude (~41°N) (e.g., Ren et al., 2018; Yi et
Paleontological analysis
A total of 292 samples were collected in intervals of approximately 1.0 to 1.5 m from the DDFs of the Zhangjiagou section of the Luanping Basin for microfossil analysis, 46 samples of which contained abundant ostracods, and four samples yielded charophytes. Each sample (300–500 g) was soaked in water and/or hydrogen peroxide, if necessary, washed through sieves and picked under a stereomicroscope. The carapaces and valves selected for illustration of the DDFs were sputter-coated with gold and
Ostracods
Preliminary taxonomic analysis of nonmarine ostracods from the Lower Cretaceous DDFs from the Zhangjiagou section, as well as other sections from the Luanping Basin revealed 18 genera, including Cypridea Bosquet, Yumenia Hou, Luanpingella Su and Yang, Pseudoparacypridopsis Anderson, Daurina Sinitsa, Yanshanina Pang, Ocrocypris Zhang, Eoparacypris Anderson, Limnocypridea Lübimova, Djungarica Galeeva, Darwinula Brady and Robertson, Alicenula Rossetti and Martens, Rhinocypris Anderson, Timiriasevia
Stratigraphic correlation
There are still some controversies about the stratigraphic correlation of the “Jehol Group” between northern Hebei and western Liaoning and even among the different basins in northern Hebei, which thus far limits our knowledge of the early and middle stages of the Jehol Biota (e.g., Ji, 2002; Tian et al., 2004a; Zhang et al., 2005a; Pan et al., 2013; Qin et al., 2018; Yu et al., 2021b; Zhang et al., 2021a). For example, Zhang et al. (2005b) suggested that the DDFs are part of the lowermost part
Conclusions
The abundant ostracods associated with charophytes, spinicaudatans, insects, fishes, spores and pollen from the Lower Cretaceous Dabeigou Formation and the overlying Dadianzi Formation in the Luanping Basin and the equivalent Huajiying Formation in the Senjitu-Sichakou Basin are evaluated for their paleoclimatic signals. The ages of these formations are approximately 135 to 127 Ma, corresponding to the middle Valanginian to early Barremian. The expanded geographic distribution, increasing
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 41790452 and 41688103), the National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFC0605403), the Chinese “111” Project (B20011), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (590121018), and the Program of China Geological Survey (grant nos. DD20190009 and DD20160207).
Declaration of Competing Interest
None.
Acknowledgments
We sincerely thank Prof. Qiqing Pang (Hebei GEO University), Prof. Chunlin Sun (Jilin University), and associate Prof. Xuri Wang (Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences) for their assistance with fieldwork. We also sincerely thank Yankang Xu, Feng Wei, Guannan Wang, Anqi Gu, Xin Xiong, Baoxu Wu, and Jizhe Du for their help in the field. The authors sincerely thank Dr. Benjamin Sames for his assistanceand support of Qin at the University of Vienna. We are very grateful to
References (175)
- et al.
Multi-proxy record of orbital-scale changes in climate and sedimentation during the Weissert Event in the Valanginian Bersek Marl Formation (Gerecse Mts., Hungary)
Cretac. Res.
(2017) - et al.
Long-term climate record inferred from early-middle Pleistocene amphibian and squamate reptile assemblages at the Gran Dolina Cave, Atapuerca, Spain
J. Hum. Evol.
(2009) - et al.
Climate and environment of the earliest West European hominins inferred from amphibian and squamate reptile assemblages: Sima del Elefante Lower Red Unit, Atapuerca, Spain
Quaternary Sci. Rev.
(2010) - et al.
High-precision 40Ar/39Ar age for the Jehol Biota
Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol.
(2009) - et al.
Fossil coniferous wood from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota in western Liaoning, NE China: new material and palaeoclimate implications
Cretac. Res.
(2016) Early Cretaceous life, climate and anoxia
Cretac. Res.
(2012)- et al.
The Valanginian isotope event: a complex suite of palaeoenvironmental perturbations
Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol.
(2011) - et al.
The Upper Valanginian (Early Cretaceous) positive carbon–isotope event recorded in terrestrial plants
Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.
(2005) - et al.
New thoughts about the Cretaceous climate and oceans
Earth-Sci. Rev.
(2012) - et al.
Middle Pleistocene climate and hydrological environment at the Boxgrove hominin site (West Sussex, UK) from ostracod records
Quaternary Sci. Rev.
(2010)
The evolution of large size: how does Cope’s Rule work?
Trends Ecol. Evol.
A Mutual Temperature Range method for Quaternary palaeoclimatic analysis using European nonmarine Ostracoda
Quaternary Sci. Rev.
Early Cretaceous volcanism and its impact on fossil preservation in Western Liaoning, NE China
Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol.
Cretaceous climate, volcanism, impacts, and biotic effects
Cretac. Res.
Yanjiestheria, Yanshania and the development of the Eosestheria conchostracan fauna of the Jehol Biota in China
Cretac. Res.
Erosional history of the eastern Tibetan Plateau since 190 kyr ago: clay mineralogical and geochemical investigations from the southwestern South China Sea
Mar. Geol.
Entwicklung der Wasser- und Sumpfpflanzen-Gesellschaften Europas von der Kreide bis ins Quartär
Flora
Palaeo-temperatures, polar ice-volume, and isotope stratigraphy (Mg/Ca, δ18O, δ13C, 87Sr/86Sr): the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian, Valanginian, Hauterivian)
Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol.
Latitudinal temperature trends in the Northern Hemisphere during the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian-Hauterivian)
Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol.
A Valanginian (Early Cretaceous) “boreal nannoplankton excursion” in sections from Romania
Mar. Micropaleontol.
Palaeoclimatic reconstruction using mutual climatic range on terrestrial mollusks
Quaternary Res.
Statistical empirical index of chemical weathering in igneous rocks: a new tool for evaluating the degree of weathering
Chem. Geol.
The Jehol Biota: definition and distribution of exceptionally preserved relicts of a continental Early Cretaceous ecosystem
Cretac. Res.
Clay mineral distribution in surface sediments of the South Atlantic: Sources, transport, and relation to oceanography
Mar. Geol.
Oxygen isotopes of East Asian dinosaurs reveal exceptionally cold Early Cretaceous climates
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.
Bergmann’s Rule in nonavian reptiles: turtles follow it, lizards and snakes reverse it
Evolution
Seasonal temperatures in Britain during the past 22,000 years, reconstructed using beetle remains
Nature
Climatic calibration of Coleopteran data
In: Berglund, B.E. (Ed.), Handbook of Holocene Palaeoecology and Palaeohydrology
Herbivory in global climate change research: direct effects of rising temperature on insect herbivores
Glob. Chang. Biol.
Geographic gradients in body size: a clarification of Bergmann’s rule
Divers. Distrib.
Bergmann’s Rule and the mammal fauna of northern North America
Ecography
Bergmann and converse Bergmann latitudinal clines in arthropods: two ends of a continuum?
Integr. Comp. Biol.
Body size, ecological dominance, and Cope’s Rule
Nature
Nonmarine ostracods of the lower part of the Yixian Forma-tion in Sihetun area, western Liaoning, China
Palaeoworld
Impact of global cooling on Early Cretaceous high pCO2 world during the Weissert Event
Nat. Commun.
Clay Sedimentology
The Jehol Biota: The Emergence of Feathered Dinosaurs, Beaked Birds and Flowering Plants
Distribution and migration of Jehol Fauna with reference to nonmarine Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary in China
Acta Palaeontol. Sin.
Distribution and spread of the Jehol Biota
Palaeoworld
(Updated). The ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart
Episodes
Valanginian Weissert oceanic anoxic event
Geology
Diagenetic and paleoenvironmental controls on Late Cretaceous clay minerals in the Songliao Basin, Northeast China
Clay Clay Miner.
North China block underwent simultaneous true polar wander and tectonic convergence in late Jurassic: new paleomagnetic constraints
Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.
Investigating climate change and reproduction: experimental tools from evolutionary biology
Biology
A diapsid skull in a new species of the primitive bird Confuciusornis
Nature
Toward understanding Cretaceous climated – An updated review
Sci. China Earth Sci.
Possible solutions to several enigmas of Cretaceous climate
Int. J. Earth Sci.
The 40Ar/39Ar dating of the early Jehol Biota from Fengning, Hebei Province, northern China
Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst.
40Ar/39Ar dating of Lujiatun bed (Jehol Group) in Liaoning, northeastern China
Geophys. Res. Lett.
Timing of the Jiufotang Formation (Jehol Group) in Liaoning, northeastern China, and its implications
Geophys. Res. Lett.
Cited by (6)
An integrated stratigraphic framework for the lower cretaceous in the Luanping Basin of northern China: Implications for major evolutionary and climatic events
2024, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, PalaeoecologyBiome responses to a hydroclimatic crisis in an early cretaceous (Barremian–Aptian) subtropical inland lake ecosystem, Northwest China
2023, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, PalaeoecologyOstracod biostratigraphy of Lower Cretaceous lacustrine sequences in northern Hebei, North China: A revision
2023, Cretaceous ResearchCitation Excerpt :In this case, stratigraphic correlation dependent on generic determinations is worthy of consideration and trial, although the correlation resolution may not be so fine. For example, Damonella, and Djungarica are abundant at the Tuchengzi Formation (e.g., Pang, 1982), Luanpingella, Ocrocypris, and Eoparacypris mainly occur at the Dabeigou Formation and its equivalent strata (Zhang et al., 2016; Qin et al., 2018, 2022). However, supra-regional correlation of the northern Hebei ostracods remains uncertain, especially, the ostracods in the Dadianzi Formation in northern Hebei with those from the Purbeck Formation to Wealden Group in Britain.
A new astronomical time scale for the early Jehol Biota in the Luanping Basin, northeastern China
2022, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, PalaeoecologyCitation Excerpt :Based on detailed palynology of the Yushuxia section, the vegetation in the Luanping Basin was dominated by the cool- and temperate-adapted bisaccate-producer Pinaceae and Taxodiaceae during deposition of the D-M2–3 (Lin et al., 2022). In addition, the Yixian Formation, which contains the most well-preserved middle Jehol Biota in the western Liaoning Province (Zhou et al., 2021; Qin et al., 2022), also contains a very high percentage of the coniferous bisaccate pollen (> 70%) (Li and Batten, 2007). These palynological data directly indicate a generally cool and temperate climatic condition in the northeastern China during the development of the Jehol Biota, which is supported by the low mean annual temperature of ∼6- ∼ 10 °C, estimated from the clumped isotope of the paleosol carbonates and the oxygen isotope of vertebrate remains from the Yixian Formation in western Liaoning Province (Amiot et al., 2011; Zhang et al., 2021).
Early Cretaceous dynamic evolution of paleo-landscape and eastward migration of Jehol Biota in North China
2024, Journal of Palaeogeography (Chinese Edition)