Nonpollen palynomorphs: Indicators of salinity and environmental change in the Caspian–Black Sea–Mediterranean corridor

Abstract

Previous palynological studies of the Caspian-Black Sea-Mediterranean corridor primarily focused on pollen and spores for paleoecological and chronostratigraphic studies. Until recently, there has been less emphasis on the nonpollen palynomorphs, such as dinofl agellate cysts, algal and fungal spores, and animal remains. New studies of nonpollen palynomorphs in landlocked seas, estuaries, and lakes reported here indicate that they are important markers of salinity, nutrient loading, and human activity, including ballast discharge, farming, and soil erosion. We describe the nonoxidative laboratory processing methods necessary to extract nonpollen palynomorphs from marine-and brackish-water sediment samples. We list 48 nonpollen palynomorphs taxa from 37 surface sediments (including the past millennium) for cores

Vegetation dynamics during the early to mid-Holocene transition in NW Malta, human impact versus climatic forcing

“…The Ostrya-type pollen curve may represent both Carpinus orientalis (Beug 2004) and Ostrya and the Quercus pollen curve is the sum of Q. ilex-type and Q. pubescens-type. Dinoflagellates were determined by Laurent Londeix (EPOC, University of Bordeaux); NPPs were identified using Cugny (2011), Mudie et al (2011) andHaas (1996). Pollen percentages were calculated in TILIA and the pollen percentage diagram (Fig.…”

Reconstructions of deltaic environments from Holocene palynological records in the Volga delta, northern Caspian Sea

“…Fungal spores (as opposed to hyphae) are more likely to occur in wind-blown sediments, as they are largely wind dispersed. They may also be linked with soil erosion (Leroy et al, 2009;Mudie et al, 2011). The algae are probably derived from ilmen.…”

New Insights on the systematic classification of certain palynological taxa (tintinnomorphs) from Holocene deposits of the Coastal Plain of Southern Brazil

“…According to Roncaglia (2004), the increase of tintinnid loricae, dinoflagellate cysts concentration, planktonic crustacean eggs as well as structured brown phytoclasts, plant tissue and sporomorphs from Holocene sediments of the Skálafjord (Faroe Islands) were related to the increase of primary productivity in the waters of the fjord. For Mudie et al (2010Mudie et al ( , 2011, in restricted marine basins, such as Black and Caspian Sea, the literature on living equivalents of the tintinnids suggests that nutrients are probably more important than salinity for the blooms.…”

“…Holocene marine sediments from Lapatia Bay (Beagle Channel, Argentina), Borromei & Quatrocchio (2001) found a specimen similar to the tintinnomorph HEXANO-3 (sensu Van Waveren, 1994), identified as tintinnid lorica. Mudie et al (2011) recorded specimens related to the tintinnomorph HEXANO-2 from Holocene marine deposits of the Marmara Sea (Turkey), identified as tintinnid lorica or Turbellaria Class worm egg capsule.…”

“…Nevertheless, many loricae and cysts are recovered by palynological processing (Reid & John, 1978;Meckler et al, 2008;Mudie et al, 2010Mudie et al, , 2011Pienkowski et al, 2011Pienkowski et al, , 2013, being classified within the palynomorphs as zoomorphs (Traverse, 1994). In modern marine sediments, a large quantity and variety of tintinnid cysts and loricae is known (Reid, 1975;Reid & John, 1978;Van Waveren, 1994;Van Waveren & Visscher, 1994;Kawamura, 2004;Hardy & Wrenn, 2009;Lipps et al, 2013;Pienkowski et al, 2011Pienkowski et al, , 2013Matsuoka et al, 2017).…”