Floral Provinces - Lecture 10

Question 1

What do global provinces represent?

Answer 1

Climate and Geographical Isolation

Question 2

Name the three provinces in the Early Carboniferous period and where they are located

Answer 2

Lepidodendropsis Province (Eurmerican), Angara Province (Siberia) and Cathaysian Province (China)

Question 3

What were the main characteristics of the Early Carboniferous Lepidodendropsis Province?

Answer 3

Warm wet climate on a large continental plate. Wood had no growth rings.

Question 4

What were the main characteristics of the Early Carboniferous Angara Province?

Answer 4

Isolated near pole. Trees were small and showed annual growth rings. Flora dominated by conifers and endemic seed ferns

Question 5

What were the main characteristics of the Early Carboniferous Cathaysian Province?

Answer 5

Tropical climate but isolated. Lepidodendropsis flora present but dominated by seed ferns and ferns

Question 6

What caused the late Carboniferous/Permian reconstruction of floral provinces?

Answer 6

Plate tectonics, climate change and glaciation in southern Gondwana

Question 7

What was the result of the change of floral provinces in the late Carboniferous?

Answer 7

Cathaysian flora extended into parts of Siberia. Lepidodendropsis flora split into two parts: in the north - remnant of Lepidodendropsis flora and in the southern hemisphere - Glossopteris flora (margins of ice sheet)

Question 8

Why does the early Palaeozoic have high carbon dioxide?

Answer 8

Late proterozoic tectonic movements led to volcanic gassing and also limited biosphere.

Question 9

Name two factors which can reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Answer 9

Increased weathering and increased photosynthesis

Question 10

What triggered the glaciation in the late Carboniferous?

Answer 10

Expansion of forests and accumulation of coal underground caused carbon dioxide levels to drop