A preliminary investigation of siliceous microfossil succession in Late Quaternary sediments from Lake Baikal, Siberia

Siliceous microfossil assemblage succession was analyzed in a 100 m sediment core from Lake Baikal, Siberia. The core was recovered from the lake's central basin at a water depth of 365 m. Microfossil abundance varied greatly within the intervals sampled, ranging from samples devoid of siliceou...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of paleolimnology 1997-08, Vol.18 (2), p.187-204
Main Authors: Julius, M L, Stoermer, E F, Colman, S M, Moore, T C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aulacoseira
Bacillariophyceae
Cyclotella
Freshwater
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Siliceous microfossil assemblage succession was analyzed in a 100 m sediment core from Lake Baikal, Siberia. The core was recovered from the lake's central basin at a water depth of 365 m. Microfossil abundance varied greatly within the intervals sampled, ranging from samples devoid of siliceous microfossils to samples with up to 3.49 x 10 super(11) microfossils/g sediment. Fluctuations in abundance appear to reflect trends in the marine delta super(18)O record, with peak microfossil levels generally representing climate optima. Microfossil taxa present in sampled intervals changed considerably with core depth. Within each sample a small number of endemic diatom species dominated the assemblage. Changes in dominant endemic taxa between sampled intervals ranged from extirpation of some taxa, to shifts in quantitative abundance. Differences in microfossil composition and the association of variations in abundance with climate fluctuations suggest rapid speciation in response to major climatic excursions.
ISSN:0921-2728