High-resolution continental (pollen and spores) and marine (dinoflagellate cysts) microfloral records were obtained from a section consisting of about 0.5 m of glaciolacustrine and 2.5 m of Champlain Sea deposits at the Saint-Césaire site. The pollen and spore assemblages indicate the existence of a regional open vegetation of shrub tundra to forest tundra. Fluctuations in the percentages of Picea and shrub and herb taxa are related to regional afforestation and paleogeographical evolution of the basin. The Champlain Sea sediments contain an abundant dinocyst flora dominated by Operculodinium centrocarpum, Brigantedinium spp., and Algidasphaeridium? minutum, which indicate cold Arctic conditions in surface waters. Fluctuations in concentration (102–104∙cm−3) and relative abundance of dinocyst species are attributed to changes in dinoflagellate productivity and paleoceanographic conditions, notably paleosalinity. Morphological variations of Operculodinium centrocarpum and Algidasphaeridium? minutum led to this description of the varieties, named "cezare" after the site location.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.