Paleoecology of the late Campanian/early Maastrichtian Fossil-Lagerstätte of “Lo Hueco” (Cuenca, Spain): Palynological insights

- The late Cretaceous palynoflora of the Lo Hueco Fossil-Lagerstätte has been studied.
- Angiosperm (mainly Typhaceae) and freshwater palynomorphs were abundant.
- The Lo Hueco site was characterized by wetland vegetation in a coastal area.
- Various micro-environments related to water availability were evidenced in the site.
- The reconstructed Lo Hueco vegetation has no Cretaceous equivalent.

Detailed palynological analyses of the late Campanian/early Maastrichtian Fossil-Lagerstätte of “Lo Hueco” have been undertaken. The recovered assemblages, particularly rich in angiosperm taxa, included freshwater palynomorphs, spores and pollen grains related to swamp or local wetland vegetation. The palynofloras of the site revealed different micro-environments. The main differences among them may be related to water availability within a coastal environment. The overwhelming presence of pollen grains (especially Emmapollis? spp., but also Sparganiaceaepollenites spp.), herein described and related to Typhaceae, distinguishes the assemblages of Lo Hueco from the other late Cretaceous European palynofloras. Accordingly, this site may represent the oldest wetland vegetation under stressful conditions showing such modern plant community characteristics.