Flora 202 (2007) 328–337 Major vegetation trends in the Tertiary of Patagonia (Argentina): A qualitative paleoclimatic approach based on palynological evidence Luis Palazzesi à , Viviana Barreda Divisio´n Paleobota´nica, Seccio´n Paleopalinologı´a, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, A ´ ngel Gallardo 470 C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina Received 9 March 2006; accepted 11 July 2006 Abstract The patterns of Patagonian vegetation change suggest a strong relationship between the major thermal characters of the flora and the global paleoclimatic trends during Tertiary times. This conclusion was reached from the assessment of fossil pollen data from Patagonia throughout the Paleogene and Early Neogene periods and the subsequent comparison of palynological data to the global deep-sea oxygen isotope record. Four main time intervals were recognized based on the temporal distribution of selected angiosperm key taxa. (1) Paleocene to Early Eocene: presence of megatherm elements (e.g. Nypa, Pandanus), probably integrating mangrove communities in Patagonian lowlands. (2) Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene: rise to dominance of mesotherm and microtherm Nothofagus species. Megatherm taxa were well recorded at the beginning of this interval (e.g. Ilex) but were shown to disappear towards the end. (3) Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene: new increases of megatherm taxa such as palms, Cupania and Alchornea. First occurrences of mesotherm Asteraceae, represented by trailing Mutisieae, were reported. (4) Late Miocene: dispersal of meso-microtherm and arid adapted taxa (e.g. Ephedraceae and Asteraceae) across the non- Andean region of Patagonia. Microtherm Nothofagacean forests probably occurred on the higher rainfall regions of western Patagonia. The current vegetation was most likely reached during this last stage with the forest development under wetter conditions on the Andean sectors, and the steppe throughout the non-Andean region of Patagonia. r 2007 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. Keywords: Vegetation trends; Tertiary; Patagonia (Argentina); Palynology; Qualitative climatic approach Introduction Throughout the Cretaceous period angiosperms began to spread (Brenner, 1996; Lupia et al., 1999; Stuessy, 2004; Wing and Boucher, 1998) but it was not until the Cenozoic when they became an integral part of the landscape. Several factors, operating on different timescales, may have forced angiosperm distribution up to the present setting. The last continental fragmenta- tion of Gondwana, during the Late Paleogene–Early Neogene, was probably the primary determinant of long-term climatic changes and therefore the main factor that may have driven the patterns of change in plant communities throughout the Southern Hemi- sphere (Anderson et al., 1999). In Patagonia, Cenozoic events directly related to the major vegetation trends were almost certainly linked to (1) variations of atmospheric CO 2 that is thought to be ARTICLE IN PRESS www.elsevier.de/flora 0367-2530/$ - see front matter r 2007 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2006.07.006 à Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: lpalazzesi@macn.gov.ar (L. Palazzesi), vbarre- da@macn.gov.ar (V. Barreda).