The leaf cuticle of fossil Tertiary plants of Orawa (Poland) and Ribesalbes (Castellon), Rubielos de Mora (Teruel) and Patones (Madrid) in Spain are studied. Well preserved cuticular remains of fossil Glyptostrobus are studied and morphological data are exposed. Palaeobiochemistry offers a mean of obtaining further characters for the taxonomic and systematic appraisal of fossil plants. The characterization of the organic matter in plant fossils is carried out with two complementary objetives: - Organic geochemistry of ancient sedimentary organic matter. Molecular paleontology; paleoenvironmental reconstruction and chemotaxonomic appraisal of organic remains based on plant microfossils and kerogen degradations. - Assessment of biomarker compounds and signature molecules in soils and sediments. Their relationships with the structure of the trophic systems and environmental factors (mainly alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hidrocarbons, diterpenes, steroids, index phenols and other signature lipids). Methodology of the molecular characterization of fossil plant remains: Two analytical methodologies were compared in the material under study i) conventional flash pyrolysis and ii) thermochemolysis with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (formely referred to as "simultaneous pyrolysis methylation"). In both cases the molecules released by pyrolytic breakdown of the original sample were separated, identified and quantified in a gas-chromatography-mass spectrometric system. As a whole, the organic matter of remains of Glyptostrobus mainly consist of a mixture of aliphatic carbohydrate-free macromolecules yielding a conspicuous series of alkyl compounds, together with relatively well-preserved lignin.

Peer reviewed