Global changes in terrestrial vegetation and continental climate during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

To get a broader perspective we compiled published records of terrestrial pollen and spores across the Paleocene-Eocene transition at 38 sites around the globe. For the 10 sites with quantitative data PETM palynofloras were largely distinct in composition from those in the latest Paleocene or post-PETM early Eocene.

We also inferred paleoclimatic conditions at each site from the distributions of nearest living relatives (NLRs) of fossil pollen taxa among present-day Koppen climate types. The NLRs of Paleocene high-paleolatitude palynotaxa are most diverse in cooler climates, whereas the NLRs of PETM taxa are more diverse in warmer, wetter climates. At middle-paleolatitudes NLRs of Paleocene palynotaxa are most diverse in warm, wet climates, whereas NLRs of PETM palynotaxa are most diverse in warm, seasonally dry climates.