Annual Report 2011-2012 - Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany

Research Highlights
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany (BSIP) is devoted to develop both fundamental as well as applied aspects
of Palaeobotany and allied Earth System Sciences, especially focusing on past plant life and palaeoclimate.
The palaeobotanical researches are being conducted right from Archaean to Recent geological sequences (3200
Ma to 400 AD), adopting an integrated and multidisciplinary approach. To achieve the targets of the XI Five Year
Plan, 14 research projects for the year 2011-2012 have been continued under the umbrella of six identified Thrust
Areas:
1. Early life, atmosphere and oceans: Evidences from Indian Craton (Bio-Geosphere interactions in the
Precambrian).
2. Fossil land plant communities: Morpho-structure, Evolution, Systematics with applications to Biostratigraphy
and Palaeoecology (Plant evolution, Anatomy, Taxonomy and Stratigraphy).
3. Integrative Micropalaeontology, Biopetrology and Organic facies: Relevance to fossil fuel characterization
and exploration (Integrated approach to realizing economic potential in prospective basins).
4. Multi-proxy parameters for Quaternary palaeoclimate reconstructions, vegetation dynamics, relative sea
level changes and anthropogenic influence (Integrated approach to climate change, modeling and sustainable
ecosystems).
5. Polar and Major Planetary Events (Polar research and record of events such as Tsunami, Earthquakes and
Volcanism).
6. Frontiers in Palaeobotanical Research (Reconnaissance Projects to aid in development of future research
direction).
Some of the significant outcomes of scientific research during the year are as under:
• Study of trace-fossils from the siliciclastic sequence of Nagaur Formation (Marwar Supergroup) provided
definitive evidence of the Cambrian succession for hitherto suggestive Precambrian-Cambrian sequence
in peninsular India.
• Biotic communities from the Singhora and Raipur groups (Chhattisgarh Supergroup) and their global
correlation with equivalent sediments shows an evolutionary trend from Calymmian to Cryogenian age in
ascending order that were evolved and survived in different complexes of shallow sea.
• Occurrence of Peltasperms in Satpura Gondwana Basin (central India) assigns the Indian subcontinent in
the equatorial zone of mixed Laurasian/Gondwanan floristic assemblages.
• Recovered plant fossils from the South Rewa Basin are compared with various Early Cretaceous palaeofloral
assemblages of India, which shows dominance of conifers and pteridophytes and absence of cycadophytes.
• New finds of Podocarpean and Araucarian woods along with Ginkgolean fossil leaves in the Krishna-
Pranhita-Godavari basins demonstrate their luxuriant growth during Cretaceous time.
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