PurSUiT: New Discoveries of Early Cretaceous Floras from Northwestern Gondwana Reveal a Cradle of Plant Diversity

Tropical forests in South America are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. Yet their origins remain one of the great mysteries of science. This project investigates the early history of tropical forests and the rise of flowering plants during the Early Cretaceous, a critical period approximately 100–145 million years ago.

Researchers will examine fossil plants from Colombia and Ecuador. The data will reveal how these ancient ecosystems evolved, how plant composition changed over millions of years, how they compare to modern tropical forests, and how they responded to major geological and climatic events. The project will provide training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher.

It will enhance international partnerships, fostering connections between scientists in the U.S. and Latin America. The researchers will produce bilingual educational materials including museum exhibits and digital outreach, sharing the story of tropical forests with the public. The project will build significant fossil collections that will also contribute to future geological and paleontological research.

This research focuses on exceptionally well-preserved Early Cretaceous plant fossils from northwestern South America, a region once part of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana. Fossil assemblages from the Hollin (Aptian-Albian) and Une (Aptian-Cenomanian) Formations will form the primary focus. These will be supplemented by earlier floras from the Abejorral (Berriasian) and Paja (Hauterivian-Aptian) Formations to establish a baseline for floristic change over time.

Fossil deposits at these sites contain diverse materials, including mesofossils and permineralized specimens, offering a rare opportunity to reconstruct ancient vegetation in exceptional detail. The research will reconstruct past vegetational composition and explore paleobiogeographic connections between northwestern Gondwana and other regions during this period.

The findings will advance understanding of the evolution of terrestrial tropical ecosystems during a period of profound biological and geological change.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.