9322765 Manchester PIs will investigate the paleoclimatic utility of Tertiary fossil woods by focusing on wood assemblages from strata that have also yielded leaf and/or fruit floras that have played an important role in the interpretation of paleoclimatic change in the western U.S. (Eocene Clarno Formation, Oregon; Miocene Vantage Forest, Wwashington State). Two approaches--comparison with extant floras and evaluation of xylem physiognomy--will be used. Work will help develop a methododolgy for using wood anatomy to infer paleoclimates that is independent of other methods.
