Late Miocene greening of the Peruvian Desert
The response of the hyperarid Pacific coast of South America to greenhouse warming remains highly uncertain but has profound implications for the future habitability of the region. Here, we present the first paleobotanical study documenting the Peruvian Desert’s response to the Late Miocene greenhouse climate, when radiative forcing was comparable to 21st century projections. Fossil leaves, wood, and pollen from the Pisco Formation lagerstätte indicate a diverse dry forest biome where an absolute desert is observed today. Rainfall at 8–6 Ma is estimated to have been three times higher than today, possibly due to a warmer Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean or to more frequent El Niño events. Our results suggest that the impacts of tropical climate dynamical changes on ecosystems of the Pacific South American coast under greenhouse warming conditions may outweigh those of heat and evaporation, potentially enabling vegetation expansion, biome transformations, and enhanced habitability in this region. A wooded flora thrived during the Late Miocene greenhouse climate in the currently hyperarid Peruvian desert, according to analysis of paleobotanical samples from the Pisco Formation, Peru.
Authors
- Ángel A. Barbosa-Espitia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4762-3531)
- Mario Urbina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1898-9051)
- Danilo Cruz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1402-2900)
- Thomas J. DeVries (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3011-9451)
- Oris Rodríguez-Reyes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2976-0017)
- Maria C. Rivera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9470-6642)
- José‐Abel Flores (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1909-293X)
- Franco Quispe
- Jorge Cardich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8175-2789)
- Rodolfo Salas‐Gismondi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9990-8841)
- Edgar Cruz-Acevedo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4748-1329)
- Pedro Romero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9947-3868)
- Diana Ochoa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6242-4202)
- Dayenari Caballero‐Rodríguez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5537-9116)
- David A. Foster (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5603-9372)
- Juan-Felipe Montenegro
- Matthieu Carré (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8178-7316)
- María LaTorre-Acuy
Institutions
- Universidad de Panamá (PA)
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (PA)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (MX)
- Universidad de Salamanca (ES)
- National University of San Marcos (PE)
- Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (PE)
- University of Florida (US)
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia (CO)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (US)
- Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Earth & Environment
- Published
- 2025-05-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02322-0
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Plant Diversity and Evolution
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 9.08
Funders
- Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
- Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
- European Commission
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica