The Late Hemphillian (latest Miocene or earliest Pliocene, 7-4.5 Ma) Gray Fossil Site in northeastern Tennessee is interpreted to represent a lacustrine paleokarst fed by a river or stream. This research focuses on the morphological and systematic relations of Nyssa endocarps (fruit pits) from the fossil site to extinct and extant Nyssa species. A combination of metric and nonmetric traits allows recognition of a new species: Nyssa grayensis sp. nov. This fossil species shares the most similarities with the extant Nyssa ogeche Bartram ex Marshall from southeast North America and the Eocene fossil Nyssa eolignitica Berry from western Tennessee. Affinities with Nyssa ogeche Bartram ex Marshall suggest a warmer winter climate than the present and periodically fluctuating water levels. Fossil vertebrates (Alligator, Heloderma, Hesperotestudo) and plants (Fossil relatives of Ilex vomitoria, Quercus virginiana, Taxodium, Acer leucoderme) with modern counterparts distributed in areas with mild winters support this interpretation.
","abstract_html":"<p>The Late Hemphillian (latest Miocene or earliest Pliocene, 7-4.5 Ma) Gray Fossil Site in northeastern Tennessee is interpreted to represent a lacustrine paleokarst fed by a river or stream. This research focuses on the morphological and systematic relations of Nyssa endocarps (fruit pits) from the fossil site to extinct and extant Nyssa species. A combination of metric and nonmetric traits allows recognition of a new species: <em>Nyssa grayensis</em> sp. nov. This fossil species shares the most similarities with the extant <em>Nyssa ogeche</em> Bartram ex Marshall from southeast North America and the Eocene fossil <em>Nyssa eolignitica</em> Berry from western Tennessee. Affinities with <em>Nyssa ogeche</em> Bartram ex Marshall suggest a warmer winter climate than the present and periodically fluctuating water levels. Fossil vertebrates (<em>Alligator, Heloderma, Hesperotestudo</em>) and plants (Fossil relatives of <em>Ilex vomitoria, Quercus virginiana, Taxodium, Acer leucoderme</em>) with modern counterparts distributed in areas with mild winters support this interpretation.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Noll, Nathan R"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS (Master of Science)","degree_level":"Thesis - unrestricted","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:06Z","subjects":["Nyssa","Endocarp","Gray Fossil Site","Miocene","Pliocene","Karst","Biodiversity","Climate","Paleontology","Plant Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1204","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Noll, Nathan R"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-06-27T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2013-08-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - unrestricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS (Master of Science)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Nyssa","Endocarp","Gray Fossil Site","Miocene","Pliocene","Karst","Biodiversity","Climate","Paleontology","Plant Biology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2366/viewcontent/NollN073013f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1204"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The Late Hemphillian (latest Miocene or earliest Pliocene, 7-4.5 Ma) Gray Fossil Site in northeastern Tennessee is interpreted to represent a lacustrine paleokarst fed by a river or stream. This research focuses on the morphological and systematic relations of Nyssa endocarps (fruit pits) from the fossil site to extinct and extant Nyssa species. A combination of metric and nonmetric traits allows recognition of a new species: Nyssa grayensis sp. nov. This fossil species shares the most similarities with the extant Nyssa ogeche Bartram ex Marshall from southeast North America and the Eocene fossil Nyssa eolignitica Berry from western Tennessee. Affinities with Nyssa ogeche Bartram ex Marshall suggest a warmer winter climate than the present and periodically fluctuating water levels. Fossil vertebrates (Alligator, Heloderma, Hesperotestudo) and plants (Fossil relatives of Ilex vomitoria, Quercus virginiana, Taxodium, Acer leucoderme) with modern counterparts distributed in areas with mild winters support this interpretation.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Systematics, Climate, and Ecology of Fossil and Extant Nyssa (Nyssaceae, Cornales) and Implications of Nyssa grayensis sp. nov. from the Gray Fossil Site, Northeast Tennessee"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Noll, Nathan R"],"dc:date.available":["2013-06-27T07:00:00Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2013-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The Late Hemphillian (latest Miocene or earliest Pliocene, 7-4.5 Ma) Gray Fossil Site in northeastern Tennessee is interpreted to represent a lacustrine paleokarst fed by a river or stream. This research focuses on the morphological and systematic relations of Nyssa endocarps (fruit pits) from the fossil site to extinct and extant Nyssa species. A combination of metric and nonmetric traits allows recognition of a new species: Nyssa grayensis sp. nov. This fossil species shares the most similarities with the extant Nyssa ogeche Bartram ex Marshall from southeast North America and the Eocene fossil Nyssa eolignitica Berry from western Tennessee. Affinities with Nyssa ogeche Bartram ex Marshall suggest a warmer winter climate than the present and periodically fluctuating water levels. Fossil vertebrates (Alligator, Heloderma, Hesperotestudo) and plants (Fossil relatives of Ilex vomitoria, Quercus virginiana, Taxodium, Acer leucoderme) with modern counterparts distributed in areas with mild winters support this interpretation.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2366/viewcontent/NollN073013f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1204"],"dc:rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"dc:subject":["Nyssa","Endocarp","Gray Fossil Site","Miocene","Pliocene","Karst","Biodiversity","Climate","Paleontology","Plant Biology"],"dc:title":["Systematics, Climate, and Ecology of Fossil and Extant Nyssa (Nyssaceae, Cornales) and Implications of Nyssa grayensis sp. nov. from the Gray Fossil Site, Northeast Tennessee"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - unrestricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS (Master of Science)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:06Z"}