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The Permian formations of the South African Karoo Basin play a crucial role in understanding Gondwana's climate history during this time of major global changes. In this paper we present two data sets, one from the coal-bearing Vryheid Formation (Witbank Basin) and one from the Whitehill and Upper Prince Albert formations of the DP 1/78 core (NE Karoo). Our main goal was to study the vegetation changes during this period of global warming and test if the climatic signals could be used to correlate the basinal Ecca group facies with the fluvio-deltaic coal-bearing strata of the Witbank Basin. The palynological record of the No. 2 Coal Seam of the Vryheid Formation indicates a cold climate, fern wetland community, characteristic of lowland alluvial plains, and an upland conifer community in the lower part of the coal seam. Up section, these communities are replaced by a cool-temperate cycad-like lowland vegetation and gymnospermous upland flora. The data set of the DP 1/78 core is interpreted to represent a cool to warm temperate climate represented by a high amount of Gangamopteris and Glossopteris elements. Both data sets are very different in their composition, which can be explained by the differences in depositional environment; however, our findings reveal a different age of the studied assemblages and thus also suggest that both data sets represent different stages in the transition from icehouse to greenhouse during Permian times. As the stratigraphic correlation between the Main Karroo Basin and the peripheral basins is still under discussion, this paper provides new data to underpin the stratigraphic placement of the Whitehill Formation relative to the coal-bearing Vryheid Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eocene, the world’s last global greenhouse period, shows distinct climatic developments through time, from subtropical towards warm-temperate conditions in Europe. The present paper investigates the response of five floras of the central German Weißelster Basin from different stratigraphic ages to terrestrial palaeoclimatic variations. The floras were selected from the Zeitz Floral Assemblage (“Florenkomplex”) and cover a time interval of ca. 3.5 Myr within the late Eocene, which is supposed to be a period of gradual decline of global mean annual temperatures. The Zeitz Floral Assemblage was characterized by mainly evergreen, notophyllous intrazonal vegetation, consisting of subtropical and warm-temperate elements. The five floras as well as the entire Zeitz Floral Assemblage have been analysed using the following quantitative techniques: leaf margin analysis (LMA), Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP) and Coexistence Approach (CA). Furthermore, the results have been compared with previously published estimates for additional localities from the same area and age. The temperature estimates derived for the Zeitz Floral Assemblage are in a good agreement with those of previous studies i.e. mean annual temperature (MAT) 16.1–20.0 °C, warmest month mean temperature (WMMT) 24.9–26.4 °C, coldest month mean temperature (CMMT) 9.2–13.3 °C. Deviations have been determined for the calculated mean annual precipitation (MAP 1308–1335 mm) compared to previously published data, indicating values of about 2000 mm. Both CLAMP and CA reveal clear hints for seasonality in precipitation which is in agreement with previous phytosociological assumptions and palynological data. The estimates for the individual sites differ between the different techniques as well as among the individual sites, but generally indicate no temporal trends in temperature and precipitation development. Additionally, the applicability of these techniques for fluvial-estuarine plant assemblages, as well as the applicability of intrazonal vegetation for reconstructing transregional climate conditions are discussed. Taphonomic and methodical biases are also subject of debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]