It is widely accepted that the late Pliocene spans a time with globally warmer conditions compared to today. Regional specifics in temperature patterns from this period, however, remain poorly known. In this study, we reconstruct quantitatively late Pliocene climates for eight sites at the southeastern border of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (SBTP), based on palaeobotanical data compiled from published sources using the Coexistence Approach (CoA), and analyze anomalies with respect to modern climates. The reconstructed temperatures indicate that in the late Pliocene, the northwestern part of the study area was cooler than its southern part. This spatial differentiation in temperature was largely due to differences in altitude: the northwest of the SBTP probably had higher altitudes than the south at that time. Mean annual temperatures (MATs) were around 1. °C higher than today, suggesting a cooling trend since the late Pliocene. Our data show that summer temperatures have declined significantly since the late Pliocene while winter temperatures have remained similar to those of the present, different from observations in other territories. The unexpected summer and winter temperature changes can be explained by the regional orogenic uplift plus the global cooling. The eastward extrusion of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau might have blocked the southward cold high pressure of the winter monsoon and forced it to circumvent the eastern flank of the plateau, weakening its impact on the SBTP. The post-Pliocene mountain uplift increased the overall altitude of the region, which caused the temperature decline for both summer and winter. The reconstructed summer precipitation was lower while the winter precipitation was higher than today, suggesting a weaker monsoon climate during the late Pliocene.

Fossil fruits including nuts and associated husk valves of a new species of Carya (Juglandaceae) are described from the latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene in northeastern Tennessee, eastern United States. The husk valves are elliptic, 1.2-4.5mm thick, with a convex exterior face and a concave interior face; the nuts are globose to ovoid in shape, smooth and longitudinally ribbed on exterior surface, with a short protruding apex and a slightly 4-angled base; inner ribs, lacunae and primary septa are well-developed, while secondary septa are absent or weakly developed. The combination of these carpological characteristics clearly shows a close resemblance to the genus Carya in Juglandaceae. Detailed comparisons of carpological morphology and anatomy indicate that the present fossil taxon is different from both living and most other fossil species of the genus, and therefore warrants the designation of a new fossil species, Carya tennesseensis Huang et al., sp. nov. Carya tennesseensis displays a carpological similarity to C. ventricosa from the late Oligocene to early Pliocene in Europe, suggesting a potential species exchange of the genus between Europe and southeastern North America during the late Neogene. The new fossil species represents one of the few fruit fossil species of Carya from its modern distribution range in southeastern North America. It provides crucial information for better understanding the rapid diversification of the genus from the late Miocene to early Pliocene, and the origin and establishment of today's Carya biodiversity in this region.

A new species of fossil endocarp is described from the Sanying Formation of the upper Pliocene at Fudong Village, Lanping County of northwestern Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The endocarps are elliptic, ovate or oblong elliptic, 2.1-2.5. mm long and 1.2-1.7. mm wide. The dorsal face is convex and the ventral is concave or more flattened. The endocarp surface is loosely, transversely or sinuously furrowed and ridged, forming a reticulate and alveolate pattern on the ridges, and the inner wall of the surface cells on the ridges is flaky and scaly. They are morphologically compared with selected extant genera of Adoxaceae and Caprifoliaceae. The interspecific comparisons show diagnostic differences of the fossil endocarps from the selected modern species and other fossil taxa, supporting their recognition as a new species: Sambucus alveolatisemina Huang, Liu et Zhou, sp. nov. Previous records of the reliable Sambucus fossils were from mid-high latitude regions in Europe, northeastern Asia and northern North America. Therefore, it is interesting to note that S. alveolatisemina represents a fossil record from a low latitude region. Sambucus apparently has existed at low latitudes in China at least since the upper Pliocene. A review of other Sambucus fossil occurrences indicates that plants of this genus have been living at higher latitudes in the geological past than they are at present.

Hyaenids reached their peak diversity during the Mio-Pliocene, when an array of carnivorous species emerged alongside dwindling civet-like and mongoose-like insectivorous/omnivorous taxa. Significantly, bone-cracking morphological adaptations were poorly developed in these newly-emerged species. This, their general canid-like morphology, and the absence/rarity of canids in Eurasia and Africa at the time, has led researchers to hypothesise that these carnivorous Mio-Pliocene hyaenas were ecological vicars to modern canids. To shed further light on their diets and foraging strategies, we examine and compare the dental microwear textures of Hyaenictitherium namaquensis, Ikelohyaena abronia, Chasmaporthetes australis, and Hyaenictis hendeyi from the South African Mio-Pliocene site of Langebaanweg with those of the extant feliforms Crocuta crocuta, Acinonyx jubatus, and Panthera leo (caniforms are not included because homologous wear facets are not directly comparable between the suborders). Sample sizes for individual fossil species are small, which limits confidence in assessments of variation between the extinct taxa; however, these Mio-Pliocene hyaenas exhibit surface complexity and textural fill volume values that are considerably lower than those exhibited by the living hyaena, Crocuta crocuta. Dental microwear texture analysis thus supports interpretations of craniodental evidence suggesting low bone consumption in carnivorous Mio-Pliocene hyaenas.

The extant venomous Gila monster and beaded lizards, species of Heloderma, live today in southwestern USA and south along the Pacific coastal region into Central America, but their fossil history is poorly understood. Here we report helodermatid osteoderms (dermal ossicles) from the late Miocene-early Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, eastern Tennessee USA. Twenty-three species of mammals are known from the fauna including abundant Tapirus polkensis, as well as fishes, anurans, salamanders, turtles, Alligator, birds, and snakes. Beaded lizards belong to the Monstersauria, a clade that includes Primaderma + Paraderma + Gobiderma + Helodermatidae (Estesia, Eurheloderma, Lowesaurus, and Heloderma). Osteoderms of lizards in this clade are unique within Squamata; they typically are circular to polygonal in outline, domed to flat-domed in cross-section, have a vermiculate surface texture, are not compound structures, and do not have imbricate surfaces as on many scincomorph and anguid lizards. We review and characterize the osteoderms of all members of Monstersauria. Osteoderms from the cranium, body, and limbs of Heloderma characteristically have a ring-extension (bony flange) at least partly surrounding the dome. Its presence appears to be a key character distinct to all species of Heloderma, consequently, we propose the presence of a ring-extension to be an apomorphy. Three osteoderms from the Gray Fossil Site range from 1.5 to 3.0 mm in diameter, have the circular shape of helodermatid osteoderms with a domed apical surface, and have the ring-extensions, permiting generic identification. Macrobotanical remains from the Gray Fossil Site indicate an oak-hickory subtropical forest dominated by Quercus (oak) and Carya (hickory) with some conifer species, an understorey including the climbing vines Sinomenium, Sargentodoxa, and Vitis. Plant and mammal remains indicate a strong Asian influence.

Plant fossils from the Citronelle Formation provide a rare window into the Pliocene flora and climate of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain. Many of the taxa recovered to date inhabit the region today. However, analysis of Pinus pollen grains and fascicles indicates that the dominant pines were members of Pinus subgenus Strobus (i.e., "white pines"). The fascicles have a small, bulbous base lacking a sheath, and bear four or five long, slender needles. These features are typical of white pines. Although macrofossils are rare, 77 to 100% of the dispersed Pinus pollen grains from five localities have sacci continuous with the corpus and verrucae on the cappula, which are characteristics of white pines. This is remarkable, as the northeastern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain today is devoid of white pines, and is instead considered a center of diversity for Pinus subgenus Pinus section Pinus subsection Australes. Today, Pinus strobus is the only white pine in the eastern North America and its southernmost distribution only extends into the mountains of Georgia, about 600 km north of the fossil sites. The historical biogeographic relationships of P. strobus to other North American forms are unclear. For example, its close relative, Pinus chiapensis, is present in northeastern Mexico and Central America. The current disjunction between P. strobus and P. chiapensis is 2400 km and includes an arid barrier to dispersal. P. chiapensis is also associated with several other species showing a similar biogeographic pattern. The fossils described here indicate that white pines were more widespread in North America in the recent geological past than previously thought, and imply possible connections between disjunct species that would not be suspected if only current species' ranges and ecological tolerances were considered.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The Late Hemphillian (latest Miocene or earliest Pliocene, 7-4.5 Ma) Gray Fossil Site in northeastern Tennessee is interpreted to represent a lacustrine paleokarst fed by a river or stream. This research focuses on the morphological and systematic relations of Nyssa endocarps (fruit pits) from the fossil site to extinct and extant Nyssa species. A combination of metric and nonmetric traits allows recognition of a new species: Nyssa grayensis sp. nov. This fossil species shares the most similarities with the extant Nyssa ogeche Bartram ex Marshall from southeast North America and the Eocene fossil Nyssa eolignitica Berry from western Tennessee. Affinities with Nyssa ogeche Bartram ex Marshall suggest a warmer winter climate than the present and periodically fluctuating water levels. Fossil vertebrates (Alligator, Heloderma, Hesperotestudo) and plants (Fossil relatives of Ilex vomitoria, Quercus virginiana, Taxodium, Acer leucoderme) with modern counterparts distributed in areas with mild winters support this interpretation.