Indicative Value of Pediastrum and Other Coccal Green Algae in Palaeoecology

• Published in: Folia geobotanica 2000-01, Vol.35 (1), p.59-82
• Main Authors: Jankovská, Vlasta, Komárek, Jiří
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algae; Biological taxonomies; Fossils; Glacial lakes; Green algae; Paleoclimatology; Paleoecology; Pollen; Sediments; Taxa
• ISSN: 1211-9520; 1874-9348
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02803087

Sporopollenin layers in the cell wall of coccal green algae are responsible for the resistance of cell walls to destructive processes during fossilization as well as during chemical preparation of samples for pollen-analysis. Pollen slides of samples from limnic sediments thus also contain some algal cell walls. Although some pollen-analysts tried to stress this fact, the finds of algae in pollen slides have not been paid systematic attention yet, despite their potential use for a more accurate palaeoecological reconstruction. The article summarizes the results of palaeoecological studies showing how the algae can be used in palaeoecological reconstruction of past environments. The possibility of utilizing the indicative value of algal finds is demonstrated on examples of algal communities from fossil, subrecent and recent sediments from different longitudes, latitudes, and altitudes. The identification and indicative values of species and varieties of Pediastrum are included in a special review (Komárek & Jankovská, Biblioth. Phycol., in press). The contemporary knowledge of ecological requirements of the given taxa, completed by information from their fossil finds, makes possible the reconstruction of trophic and temperature conditions and of the purity of the water environment of the past water biotopes.