Paleo ecology

2. SEMINAR CONTENTS
ABOUT MICROFOSSILS
PALEOECOLOGY
DOMAINS OF MICRO ORGANISMS IN AQUATIC
TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS
INTERPRETATION OF PALEOECOLOGICAL
STUDIES THROUGH MICROFOSSILS

3. • Microfossils are the remains of tiny animals and
plants / organisms found in rock layers and
sediments.
• Spores and Pollen, Foraminifera, Dinoflagellates,
Radiolarians are some of the examples.
• Size of microfossils range between 50 to 500µm
• They are observed under Paleontological microscope
such as Phase Contrast Binocular, Trinocular and
Phase contrast microscopes and Biological
microscopes.
MICRO FOSSILS

4. •Microfossils are particularly useful in
paleoecological studies like: Aquatic-marine, fresh or
Brackish water. Depth of water / Turbidity / Current / Energy level etc.
• Also useful for finding out the age of rocks
where they occur. Vital aspect of application in
search for oil, gas and other resources like CBM
gas.

5. PALEOECOLOGY
Paleoecology is the science which deals with fossils as
a tool for detecting ancient environments, in which
these fossils FOSSILIZED within the associated
sediments.
Ornamentations
Paleoecology is the study of the relationship between
microfossil / microorganisms and their environment.
The following microfossils data as a Tool
Percent age of planktonic / Benthonic forms
Species diversity of a particular species Dominance
Shell-type ratios
Taxonomic approach

6. Archaebateria
Eubacteria
Protista
Animalia
Plantae
Fungi
DOMAINS OF MICRO ORGANISMS IN
AQUATIC TERRESTRIAL
ENVIRONMENTS

7. Archaebacteria
 Archae are tiny microorganisms,
usually less than one µm(Nano
size).
• single-celled prokaryotes (without
nucleus) having circular DNA.
• Live in extreme environments e.g.
acidic, extreme heat, no oxygen.
Examples: deep sea volcanic vents,
geysers, hot springs etc.

8. • Extremophiles are
microorganisms with the
ability to thrive in extreme
environment such as
hydrothermal veins , hot
sulfur springs, saline lakes,
and highly acidic or
alkaline environments.
Archean - Extremophiles

9. Eubacteria
A bacterium of a large group typically having simple
cells with rigid cell walls and often flagella for
movement .
A bacterium found mainly in extreme environments
like hydrothermal vents and volcanic areas .
Examples –Cynobacteria , Balciliobacteria etc,

10. Modern
Flagella

11. Protista
Protests are large and diverse group of
Eukaryotic Microorganisms.
It is a single –celled organism.
Live in snow, stream, ponds, lake etc,
Examples –Diatoms, Radiolarians etc,

12. Recent Diatoms

13. •Fungi is a eukaryotic
organisms.
•They can exist single cells
or chains of cells together.
•Fungi grows best in damp
and places where vegetation
decomposes , for example –
cut grass.
•Lives in various type of
organic matter, dead or
living organisms.
•Example –yeast etc,
Fungi

14. Yeast

21. • Most marine microfossils are protists but others are
multicellular or microscopic parts of macroscopic
forms.
• The value of marine microfossils is enhanced by their:
 - minute size.
 - abundant occurrence.
 - wide geographic distribution in sediments of all
ages and in almost all marine environments.
• Most planktonic and many benthic microfossils have
wide geographic distributions that make them
indispensable for regional correlations and
INTERPRETATION OF PALEOECOLOGICAL
STUDIES THROUGH MICROFOSSILS

22. Radiolaria, silicoflagellates, calcareous
nannoplankton, foraminifera and diatoms are
planktonic (free floating) and live in abundance
from 0 to 200m depth in the open ocean.
Other groups as the ostracodes, bryozoa, and
some foraminifera and diatoms are benthic
(adapted to living on the bottom of the sea).

23. • Radiolarians are planktonic marine protists
that secrete elaborate shells made of silica
and other materials
• Cells are typically spherical with radiating
spines
• they range in size from 0.03mm to 2mm.

24. OSTRACODA
Known as seed shrimps.
Live in various niches:ocean platform,on sea floor
water ponds ,humid forest soils ,mostly common
among the shallow marine benthos.
Used as :
1- Tools for biozonation of marine strata,as they
occur form cambrian to present.
2-Indicators of ancient marine shorelines
salanity relative sea floor depth.

25. Living Ostracoda

26. CONCLUSION
• All microfossils can be used either Stratigraphicaly,
Biostratigraphicaly, Paleoecological, Paleontologicaly
applied for all the age of sedimentary rocks.
• In reconstruction of paleoecological studies all
microfossil groups will not much useful.
• Studies depends on particular group of microfossils
like Foraminifera, Ostracoda, Palynofossils,
Dinoflagellates etc,
• Paleoecology is the study of the relationship between
microfossils/microorganisms &their environment.

27. REFERENCE
2005, Howard – Armstrong, M.D.Brasier, Microfossils,
Wiley – Blackwell, Pp 16 – 35
1965 ,Roman Fedorovich Gekker,Introduction to
palaeoecology, Pp 5-11
en,wikipedia.org/wiki/palaeoecology

28. 09/06/17 28
Thank you for your attention
This Photo captured in the evening sun set at the SON River Valley, MP