The Santonian through paleogene record of proteaceae in the southern SouthAmerica-Antarctic peninsula region

Proteaceous plants were an important component of the high-latitude Late Cr etaceous-Paleogene podocarpaceous conifer and Nothofagus forest vegetation growing in high-rainfall temperate conditions. In the southern South Americ a-Antarctic Peninsula region the fossil record of the Proteaceae comprises pollen, leaves, fruits and wood with affinities to the extant subfamilies G revilleoideae, Proteoideae, and possibly Carnarvonioideae and Persoonioidea e. The oldest reported occurrences of Proteaceae in this region are in the middle-late Santonian of the Antarctic Peninsula and include pollen of Prot eacidites subscabratus Couper, with the addition in the Campanian of other species of Proteacidites and Propylipollis, Cranwellipollis spp. and Penins ulapollis spp. Diversity of proteaceous pollen increased through the Campan ian and Maastrichtian, reflecting the spread of Proteaceae along the Antarc tic Peninsula and into South America. Both endemic species and species deri ved from the Australian region are represented. Compared to coeval Australi an assemblages, however, proteaceous diversity remained relatively low. Int erestingly, Beauprea-type species (Beaupreaidites spp., Peninsulapollis spp .) are common and varied in the Antarctic Peninsula from Campanian into the Eocene, yet the South American pollen record does not include these forms, except for rare Peninsulapollis gillii. Possibly drier conditions may have discouraged northward migration of this group. South American fossil prote aceous taxa are primarily related to Grevilleoideae, a trend that continues into the modern flora on that continent.