{"title":"IS ABERRANCY A RELIABLE INDICATOR FOR MAJOR PALEOCLIMATIC DISTURBANCE?","authors":"Stephen Stukins","doi":"10.2110/palo.2021.019","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract: Aberrant forms of many different spore and pollen taxa (sporomorphs) are often used to assess timings and extent of environmental stress at major extinction/climate events. However, little is known about the normal level of malformations in these taxa. Malformation can manifest in several different ways, including significant size differences (± from the accepted range for the species), retention of pollen/spores within tetrads, and unusual and inconsistent morphological aberrations. This study analyses one commonly used pollen genus, Classopollis, and its aberrant forms, from the Bajocian of Argentina. Tetrads, including those incorporating malformed/aborted pollen grains, are found to be common, showing that tetrads of Classopollis are not a reliable signal of major environmental disturbance. The results and discussion presented here emphasize why palynological data must be interpreted in context of the depositional dynamics, facies changes and how they affect the assemblages in conjunction with understanding variations in the strategies of individual flora.","PeriodicalId":54647,"journal":{"name":"Palaios","volume":"37 1","pages":"145 - 149"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2022-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"4","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Palaios","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2110/palo.2021.019","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"GEOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 4
Abstract
Abstract: Aberrant forms of many different spore and pollen taxa (sporomorphs) are often used to assess timings and extent of environmental stress at major extinction/climate events. However, little is known about the normal level of malformations in these taxa. Malformation can manifest in several different ways, including significant size differences (± from the accepted range for the species), retention of pollen/spores within tetrads, and unusual and inconsistent morphological aberrations. This study analyses one commonly used pollen genus, Classopollis, and its aberrant forms, from the Bajocian of Argentina. Tetrads, including those incorporating malformed/aborted pollen grains, are found to be common, showing that tetrads of Classopollis are not a reliable signal of major environmental disturbance. The results and discussion presented here emphasize why palynological data must be interpreted in context of the depositional dynamics, facies changes and how they affect the assemblages in conjunction with understanding variations in the strategies of individual flora.
期刊介绍:
PALAIOS is a monthly journal, founded in 1986, dedicated to emphasizing the impact of life on Earth''s history as recorded in the paleontological and sedimentological records. PALAIOS disseminates information to an international spectrum of geologists and biologists interested in a broad range of topics, including, but not limited to, biogeochemistry, ichnology, paleoclimatology, paleoecology, paleoceanography, sedimentology, stratigraphy, geomicrobiology, paleobiogeochemistry, and astrobiology.
PALAIOS publishes original papers that emphasize using paleontology to answer important geological and biological questions that further our understanding of Earth history. Accordingly, manuscripts whose subject matter and conclusions have broader geologic implications are much more likely to be selected for publication. Given that the purpose of PALAIOS is to generate enthusiasm for paleontology among a broad spectrum of readers, the editors request the following: titles that generate immediate interest; abstracts that emphasize important conclusions; illustrations of professional caliber used in place of words; and lively, yet scholarly, text.