A study of Late Carboniferous and Early Permian plant assemblages from the Boskovice Basin, Czech Republic.
Abstract
Late Stephanian and Early Permian floras were collected in eight localities of the Boskovice Basin. More than 2700 specimens were studied.
The Carboniferous wet-type flora is relatively hygrophilous with a dominance of ferns. Conifers and representatives of pteridosperms above Rosice-Oslavany coal seams indicate the beginning of seasonality and aridisation of the climate.
The arid Permian flora is dominated by conifers. Some horizons contain a relatively high proportion of peltasperms.
The flora reflects changes in the basin from relatively wet climate in the Rosice–Oslavany Formation to the seasonal and “dry” climate during the Permian. The red sediments outside the fossiliferous horizons are barren, presumably reflecting a semi-arid climate.
Using unconstrained Jaccard's analysis, the Carboniferous “wet-type” flora is clearly separated from the “dry-type” Permian flora in cluster analysis. This analysis reflects an aridisation trend rather than biostratigraphically determined changes.