Plant taphonomy and palaeoecology of Pennsylvanian wetlands from the Erillcastell Basin of the eastern Pyrenees, Catalonia, Spain

Abstract

The Pennsylvanian flora from the intramontane Erillcastell Basin in the eastern Pyrenees (Catalonia, Spain) isdescribed in a palaeoenvironmental context based on a combined study of sedimentology, plant taphonomy andpaleoecology. This basin differs from other Pyrenean basins of this age in comprising a wide array of fluvialchannel and floodplain-related facies, with a limited development of peat mire facies. Both late Moscovian andearly Ghzelian successions are rich in diverse calamitalean remains (mainly Calamites cistii and C. suckowii, inaddition to C. undulatus in the Moscovian) and pecopterid foliage (mainly Polymorphopteris polymorpha) correspondingto marattialean tree ferns. An unusual feature of the fluvial channel assemblages is the commonoccurrence of arborescent lycopsids, especially Sigillaria brardii, in association with Calamites species, whichpresumably occupied riparian niches. Palaeotopographic, drainage and climatic constraints of the ErillcastellBasin may explain this unusual ecological distribution of Sigillaria brardii, which is mostly associated with peatmires and oxbow lakes in other coeval intramontane South European basins. Findings improve knowledge ofintermontane forest ecosystems during the Middle to Late Pennsylvanian transition.