Insect and plant diversity in hot-spring ecosystems during the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary from Spain (Aguilar Fm., Palencia)

Hydrothermal palaeoenvironments are very uncommon in Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous deposits worldwide. We present new plant and insect remains from travertines formed during the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary in northern Spain (Aguilar Fm., Palencia province). A total of 136 plant specimens and three insect wings were collected and studied. This entomofauna consists of dragonfly (Odonata) wings including Cymatophlebiidae and an undetermined new genus and species of Aktassiidae, representing the first report of these families for the Iberian Peninsula. The fossil flora shows different morphotypes of plants, which have been tentatively assigned to three different genera. The taphocoenosis of the flora was dominated by Bennettitales (98.5%) including cf. Pterophyllum sp., Ptilophyllum cf. acutifolium, Ptilophyllum cf. pecten, Ptilophyllum cf. pectiniformis and cf. Ptilophyllum sp., and the occasional presence of ferns (1.5%) represented by the taxon Cladophlebis cf. denticulata. The presence of the Anisoptera Cymatophlebia cf. longialata suggests a higher affinity for a Tithonian age of the studied site, and the anatomy and palaeogeographical distribution of this species suggest capacity to migrate for rather long distances. The floristic composition of the site differs remarkably from other Tithonian-Berriasian floras of the Iberian Peninsula. The presence of Odonata and the distinctive flora in (semi)arid conditions could be due to the hot-spring providing an environmental niche with constant conditions of warmth and humidity forming an ‘ecological oasis’.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España | Ref. PGC2018-094034-B-C22Chinese Academy of Sciences | Ref. XDB26000000Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A-2019/243Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A-2020/17

A Robinson Crusoe story in the fossil record: Plant-insect interactions from a Middle Jurassic ephemeral volcanic island (Eastern Spain)

We present here the first record of plant-insect interactions from an ephemeral volcanic island that was placed 150 km away from the nearest continental mass. The island was formed and destroyed during the Aalenian (Middle Jurassic) in a shallow sea of the southwestern Tethyan realm corresponding today to a place located in eastern Spain. These plant-insect interactions were mainly documented in leaves of Cycadophytes (comprising both Cycads and Bennettitales), and they have been described and classified into different Damage Types (DTs) and Functional Feeding Groups (FFGs). The interactions were assigned to 11 different DTs including different types of hole feeding, margin feeding, surface feeding, piercing and sucking, mining(?), and some putative ovipositional scars. The presence of these interactions implies that the island was colonized by different groups of insects, including orders such as Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Odonata, or Lepidoptera. The low variety and incidence of interactions comparing with other Middle Jurassic plant-insect interactions assemblages indicate that the diversity of insects was not high, possibly due to the difficulty of reaching this island by various lineages, the small size of the landmass of the island, and the limited food availability (mainly Cycadophytes). Possible colonization strategies could be by atmospheric dispersion, using floating remains of plants or pterosaurs as vectors, by active flight for Lepidoptera, or by rafting and floating in marine currents for flightless or other insects.Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGAgencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PGC2018-094034-B-C22Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A-2019/24

Estudis sobre el medi ambient. Anàlisi de contaminants. Residus sòlids. Recuperacló de residus

Es fa una breu descripció dels serveis a l'Indústria que dóna la Càtedra i molt especialment els referents al Medi Am­bient. Dintre d'aquests es citen la lluita contra la contamina­ció atmosfèrica, la contaminació de les aigües I la contaminació deis residus sòlids. Es remarca l'interès pel problema de l'aprofitament dels residus. S'indiquen, a més a més, altres serveis de la Càtedra. La recerca dins d'aquesta es polaritza principal­ment cap a temes que es relacionen amb problemes del Medi Ambient