Secondary xylary features in proving truth/falsity of an alibi: examples of three important Indian commercial woods

Secondary xylary characters of wood are useful to identify a wood up to its generic or specific level and thus may prove or disprove the alibi of the retailers i.e., a wood is genuine or not. In the present study, 26 wood samples were collected from the local markets of Baruipur, Sealdah and Garia in Kolkata, West Bengal. Among them, 8 were sold as ‘Sandal wood’ (Santalum album), 4 as ‘Red Sanders’ (Pterocarpus santalinus) and 14 as ‘Sal wood’ (Shorea robusta). Results indicate that xylotomical features of most of the collected ‘sandal wood’ and ‘red sander’ samples did not match with the reference Santalum album and Pterocarpus santalinus samples whereas most of the collected ‘Sal wood’ samples from furniture shops matched with the reference samples of Shorea robusta. Present study successfully indicates that xylotomical investigations of commercial wood may establish the authenticity of wood of commerce

Depositional Environment of Mio-Pliocene Siwalik Sedimentary Strata from the Darjeeling Himalayan Foothills, India: A Palynological Approach.

A rich and diverse palynoassemblage recovered from the Churanthi River section (26°53' 59.3" N, 88°34' 17.2" E), Darjeeling foothills Eastern Himalaya, has yielded 87 species assigned to 69 genera. The palynoassemblage is rich in angiosperm taxa (45.63%) followed by gymnosperms (0.45%), pteridophytes (18.49%) and fungal remains (23.88%). Based on their nearest living relatives, a wet evergreen to semi-evergreen forest under a humid tropical to sub-tropical environment during the Mio-Pliocene age has been suggested. A lot of angiosperms such as Palaeosantalaceaepites, Araliaceoipollenites, Malvacearampollis, Zonocostites, Neocouperipollis, Dicolpopollis, Palmidites, Palmaepollenites, isolated salt glands of mangrove plant leaves (Heliospermopsis) and Mediaverrunites type of fungal spores, along with ichnofossils like Planolites, Palaeophycus, Skolithos, Rosselia, Ophiomorpha and Teichichnus associated with rippled mudstone-siltstone suggest an environment strongly influenced by brackish water. Primary sedimentary structures in the associated strata indicate strong wave agitation common in shallow marine setting. Some high elevation components (5.14%) such as Alnipollenites, cf. Corylus (Betulaceae), Juglanspollenites, Engelhardtioipollenites (Juglandaceae), Quercoides, Cupuliferoidaepollenites, Lithocarpus, Castanopsis (Fagaceae), Abietineaepollenites (Pinaceae) represent hinterland vegetation possibly transported to the prograding deltaic coastline by the rivers. Reworked palynotaxa (Striatopodocarpites sp., Striatites sp., Faunipollenites sp., Circumstriatites sp., Crescentipollenites sp., Cuneatisporites sp., Parasaccites sp., Scheuringipollenites sp., Rhizomaspora sp., Marsupipollenites sp., Lophotriletes sp.) of Permian age have also been recorded in the palynoassemblage (11.55%) indicating the abundance of Permian Gondwana strata in the source area

Phytolith spectra in respiratory aerial roots of some mangrove plants of the Indian Sunderbans and its efficacy in ancient deltaic environment reconstruction

This study reports phytolith diversity in respiratory aerial roots of some true mangrove plants for the first time. To identify the signal of phytoliths retrieved from these respiratory roots in the modern deltaic environments, we have analyzed the phytolith contents of pneumatophores and/or pneumatothodes of 13 mangrove species from 7 families inhabiting true mangrove forests, and compared their representation in assemblages of stems and leaves of 108 taxa and 26 surface soil samples collected from different deltaic sub-environments of the Indian Sunderbans along a salinity gradient. The result shows that most of the phytolith morphotypes occurring in these respiratory roots are redundant, having low taxonomic significance, and are produced in the stems of the same or different plants. Our study revealed that despite the morphological symmetry of the phytolith morphotypes, size differences of two morphotypes i.e. blocky polyhedral and blocky elongated bodies can be attributed to discriminate their source of origin reliably. Discriminant function analysis shows that 97.7% of stem and 66.5% aerating root data on blocky polyhedral morphotypes can be correctly classified. Blocky elongated morphotypes can accurately classify 75.7% of stem data and 81.1% of aerating root data. This means that size parameters of certain phytolith morphotypes can successfully discriminate between stem and respiratory aerial root. Study of surface and sub-surface sediments from a late Quaternary profile (4215 +/- 35 BP at a depth of 390 cm and 2810 +/- 25 BP at a depth of 30 cm) also confirms the conclusions. The implications of these findings lie in distinguishing true mangrove environments from other deltaic sub-environments, as pneumatophores/ pneumatothodes are only produced in plants inhabiting tidal or intertidal sub-environments. The creation of a comprehensive analogue of aerating root phytoliths from the Indian Sunderbans has provided the necessary ground work for interpretation of late Quaternary environmental studies in the region. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved

A similar to 50 ka record of monsoonal variability in the Darjeeling foothill region, eastern Himalayas

Pollen, phytoliths and delta C-13 signatures of soil organic matter from two fluvial sedimentary sequences of the Darjeeling foothill region, eastern Himalayas are used to portray palaeoclimatic oscillations and their impact on regional plant communities over the last similar to 50 ka. Quantitative palaeoclimate estimation using coexistence approach on pollen data and other proxies indicate significant oscillations in precipitation during the late part of MIS 3 (46.4-25.9 ka), early and middle part of MIS 2 (25.9-15.6 ka), and 5.4 to 3.5 ka. Middle to late MIS 3 (ca 46.4-31 ka.) was characterized by a comparatively low monsoonal activity and slightly higher temperature than that during ca 31 ka onwards. Simultaneous expansion of deciduous trees and chloridoid grasses also imply a drier and warmer phase. Between 31 and 22.3 ka (late MIS 3 to mid-MIS 2), higher precipitation and a slightly cooler temperature led to an increase in evergreen elements over deciduous taxa and wet-loving panicoid grasses over dry-loving chloridoid grasses than earlier. After ca 22.3 ka, shrinking of forest cover, expansion of C4 chloridoid grasses, Asteraceae and Cheno-ams in the vegetation with lowering of temperature and precipitation characterized the onset of the LGM which continued till 18.3 ka. End of the LGM is manifested by a restoration in the forest cover and in the temperature and precipitation regime. Later, during 5.4 to 4.3 ka, a strong monsoonal activity supported a dense moist evergreen forest cover that subsequently declined during 4.3 to 3.5 ka. A further increase in deciduous elements and non-arboreals might be a consequence of reduced precipitation and higher temperature during this phase. A comparison between monsoonal rainfall, MAT and palaeoatmospheric CO2 with floral dynamics since last similar to 50 ka indicates that these fluctuations in plant succession were mainly driven by monsoonal variations. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Trace fossils and sedimentary structures from Churanthi River section.

<p>A. Bioturbated ripple laminated silt-claystone. (<i>Planolites</i> marked by black arrows and <i>Skolithos</i> marked by red arrows). B. <i>Palaeophycus</i>; C. Low-angled cross stratifications and plane parallel strata; D. <i>Rosselia</i>, sectional view: funnel shaped burrow, occurring in very fine grained sandstone (F5), 318 m north of measured section; E. <i>Rosselia</i>, bedding plane view: (Note the concentric rings around sandy core).</p

Stratigraphy of the Siwalik succession of Darjeeling foothills modified after Acharyya [36].

<p>Stratigraphy of the Siwalik succession of Darjeeling foothills modified after Acharyya [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0150168#pone.0150168.ref036" target="_blank">36</a>].</p

Depositional Environment of Mio-Pliocene Siwalik Sedimentary Strata from the Darjeeling Himalayan Foothills, India: A Palynological Approach - Fig 7

<p>Photomicrographs of fungal spores recovered from the Siwalik succession:A, B, F. <i>Hypoxylonites</i> sp.C, G. <i>Inapertisporites elongates</i>. D, J, K, L, O, T. <i>Inapertisporites</i> sp.E. <i>Inapertisporites ovalis</i>.H. <i>Inapertisporites solidus</i>. I. <i>Inapertisporites kedvesii</i>.M, N. <i>Inapertisporites nodulus</i>.P. <i>Monoporisporites</i> sp. Q, W, X. <i>Pluricellaesporites</i> sp. R. <i>Dyadosporites dyadosporus</i>.S. <i>Dyadosporites</i> sp.U. <i>Multicellaesporites ellipticus</i>. V. <i>Dyadosporites elsikii</i>. Y, Z. <i>Microsporonite</i>s sp.A1. <i>Mediaverrunites</i> sp.B1, C1. Unidentified.</p

Detailed map of the Siwalik rocks of the study area around Churanthi River, showing the bedding plane orientations and fossil locality.

<p>The detailed sedimentological log (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0150168#pone.0150168.g002" target="_blank">Fig 2A</a>) was measured along the red line.</p