Micropaleontology (also sometimes spelled as
micropalaeontology) is that branch of
paleontology which studies
microfossils.
Microfossils
is a soft,
siliceous,
sedimentary rock made up of microfossils in the form of the
frustules (shells) of single cell
diatoms. This sample consists of a mixture of centric (radially symmetric) and pennate (bilaterally symmetric) diatoms. This image of diatomaceous earth particles in
water is at a scale of 6.236 pixels/
μm, the entire image covers a region of approximately 1.13 by 0.69
mm.]]
Microfossils are
fossils generally not larger than four millimeters, and commonly smaller than one millimeter, the study of which requires the use of light or electron
microscopy. Fossils which can be studied with the naked eye or low-powered magnification, such as a hand lens, are referred to as
macrofossils. Obviously, it can be hard to decide whether or not some organisms should be considered microfossils, and so there is no fixed size boundary.
For example, some colonial organisms, such as bryozoa (especially the Cheilostomata) have relatively large colonies, but are classified on the basis of fine skeletal details of the tiny individuals of the colony. Most bryozoan specialists tend to consider themselves paleontologists, rather than micropaleontologists, but many micropaleontologists also study bryozoa.
In another example, many fossil genera of Foraminifera, which are protists, are known from shells (called "tests") that were as big as coins, such as the genus Nummulites.
Microfossils are a common feature of the geological record, from the Precambrian to the Holocene. They are most common in deposits of marine environments, but also occur in brackish water, fresh water and terrestrial sedimentary deposits. While every kingdom of life is represented in the microfossil record, the most abundant forms are protist skeletons or cysts from the Chrysophyta, Pyrrhophyta, Sarcodina, acritarchs and chitinozoans, together with pollen and spores from the vascular plants.
Areas of study
Micropaleontology can be roughly divided into four areas of study on the basis of microfossil composition: (a)
calcareous, as in
coccoliths and
foraminifera, (b)
phosphatic, as in the study of some
vertebrates, (c)
siliceous, as in
diatoms and
radiolaria, or (d)
organic, as in the
pollen and
spores studied in
palynology.
This division reflects differences in the mineralogical and chemical composition of microfossil remains (and therefore in the methods of fossil recovery) rather than any strict taxonomic or ecological distinctions. Most researchers in this field, known as micropaleontologists, are typically specialists in one or more taxonomic groups.
Calcareous microfossils
foraminiferans showing microspheric and megalospheric individuals;
Eocene of the
United Arab Emirates; scale in mm.]]
Calcareous [CaCO3] microfossils include
Coccoliths,
Foraminifera, Calcareous
dinoflagellates, and
Ostracods (seed shrimp).
Phosphatic microfossils
Phosphatic microfossils include
Conodonts (tiny oral structures of an extinct chordate group), some
scolecodonts ("worm" jaws),
Shark spines and teeth, and other
Fish remains (collectively called "
ichthyoliths").
Siliceous microfossils
Siliceous microfossils include
Diatoms,
Radiolaria,
Silicoflagellates,
phytoliths, some
scolecodonts ("worm" jaws), and
spicules.
Organic microfossils
The study of
organic microfossils is called
palynology. Organic microfossils include
pollen,
spores,
Chitinozoans (thought to be the egg cases of marine invertebrates),
Scolecodonts ("worm" jaws),
Acritarchs,
Dinoflagellate cysts, and
fungal remains.
Methods
Sediment or rock samples are collected from either cores or outcrops, and the microfossils they contain extracted by a variety of physical and chemical laboratory techniques, including sieving, density separation by
centrifuge, and chemical digestion of the unwanted fraction. The resulting concentrated sample of microfossils is then mounted on a slide for analysis, usually by light microscope. Taxa are then identified and counted. The very large numbers of microfossils that a small sediment sample can often yield allows the collection of statistically robust datasets which can be subjected to
multivariate analysis. A typical microfossil study will involve identification of a few hundred specimens from each of ten to a hundred samples.
Applications of micropaleontology
Microfossils are especially noteworthy for their importance in
biostratigraphy. Since microfossils are often extremely abundant, widespread, and quick to appear and disappear from the stratigraphic record, they constitute ideal
index fossils from a biostratigraphic perspective. In addition, the
planktonic and
nektonic habits of some microfossils gives them the added bonus of appearing across a wide range of
facies or paleoenvironments, as well as having near-global distribution, making biostratigraphic correlation even more powerful and effective.
Microfossils also provide some of the most important records of global environmental change on long-timescales, particularly from deep-sea sediments. Across vast areas of the ocean floor, the shells of planktonic micro-organisms sinking from surface waters provide the dominant source of sediment, and they continuously accumulate (typically at rates of 20-50 million per million years). Study of changes in assemblages of microfossils and of changes in their shell chemistry (e.g., oxygen isotope composition) are fundamental to research on climate change in the geological past.
In addition to providing an excellent tool for sedimentary rock-body dating and for paleoenvironmental reconstruction – heavily used in both petroleum geology and paleoceanography – micropaleontology has also found a number of less orthodox applications, such as its growing role in forensic police investigation or in determining the provenance of archaeological artefacts.
Micropaleontology is also a tool of Geoarchaeology used in archaeological reconstruction of human habitation sites and environments. Changes in the microfossil population abundance in the stratigraphy of current and former water bodies reflect changes in environmental conditions. Naturally occurring Ostracods in freshwater bodies are impacted by changes in salinity and pH due to human activities. When correlated with other dating techniques, prehistoric environments can be reconstructed. Work on Lake Tanganyika provided a profile of human induced environmental changes of a 4,000 year period.
Similar work in the arid American Southwest has provided information on irrigation canals used by prehistoric peoples from 2100 B.C. to 500 B.C. Other archaeological work in arid climates throughout the Americas has incorporated Micropaleontological analysis to build a more complete picture of prehistoric climate and human activity.
See also
List of prehistoric foraminiferans
References
Brasier, M.D. (1980), Microfossils. Chapman and Hall publishers. ISBN 0-412-44570-0
Traverse, A. (1988), Paleopalynology. Unwin Hyman ISBN 0-04-561001-0
External links
* The Micropalaeontological Society
Centre for Palynology, University of Sheffield, UK
The American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists (AASP)
Commission Internationale de Microflore du Paléozoique (CIMP), international commission for Palaeozoic palynology.
The International Nannoplankton Association
CIMP Subcommission on Acritarchs
CIMP Chitinozoan Subcommission
Micropaleontology Press, a division of the Micropaleontology Project, a nonprofit organization with the mission of promoting the science of micropaleontology.
University of California, Berkeley, microfossil collections.
The Ocean Drilling Programme (ODP) Micropaleontological reference centres.
University College, London, Micropalaeontology Unit, including the MIRACLE microfossil image database.
2500+ images of Foraminifera with a searchable database
Category:Subfields of paleontology
Category:Branches of botany
Category:Archaeological sub-disciplines
Category:Fossils
