Page 1 of 5

PALYNOMORPHS

Related Searches:

by Dr. Paul F. Ciesielski

Univeristy of Florida

I. Introduction to palynomorphs
Palynology- The study of acid resistant organic walled microfossils

A. Types of Palynomorphs
?

Liberal Arts
Education
Liberal Arts
College Of Arts
And Sciences
Grad Student

Spores: reproductive bodies of non-flowering "lower" plants (algae,

fungi, mosses, ferns)
Range: Silurian to Recent
Pollen: male germinant bodies of seed plants (microgametophytes) and
gymnosperms.
Range: Penn. to Recent
Dinoflagellates: biflagellate, unicellular algae
Range: Permian to Recent
Acritarchs: microscopic fossil cysts, probably primative ancestors to
dinoflagellates.
Range: PreCambrian to Recent
Chitinozoans: unknown systematic position
Range: Ordovician to Devonian

B. Common characterstics
undergo rapid diversification
excessively resistant to geologic obliteration
easy to process
numerous
facies indicators
sensitive to oxidation
metamorphic threshold- greenshist facies

C. Preservation
strong oxidation destroys them (e.g. beach sediments are barren)
long periods of transportation (and oxidation) destroys them
alkaline environments cause soaponification (transformation of sugars
to soap)

D. Color of palynomorphs
appear glassy in limestones

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/pciesiel/gly3603c/palyno.html

9/28/2013

Page 2 of 5

appear brown or amber in shales because of polymerizing by

radioactivity

Related Searches:

E. Color and Metamorphism

Liberal Arts
Education
Liberal Arts
College Of Arts
And Sciences
Grad Student

The organic walls of palynomorphs change color with increasing burial

temperature and can be used to interpret post-depositional geothermal
gradients. Progressive color changes are as follows:
1. yellow to glassy
2. yellow
3. orange
4. brown
5. black-brittle-graphitized

F. Alteration of palynomorphs
the larger of overburden the greater the compression
at 1000' spores will flatten and remain so to 6000'
at 6000' they will under metamorphism
do not metamorphose in chert or as rapidly in shale because of
incompressibility
usually broken in sandstone
unconformities usually barren
water of high alkalinity destructive
resistance of spores proportional to the amount of sporopollinine

G. Lithologies and Preservation

Better preservation in siltstones, shales, and marls
Poorer preservation in quartzite, porous sandstone, recrystallized
limestone or dolomite, dolomite

II. POLLEN
A. General information
generally 20-80 microns but rarely <10 or >200 microns
from anthers of angiosperms (flowering plants) and microsporangia of
gymnosperms (pines, spruce, firs)
first gymnosperm pollen- Carboniferous
first angiosperm pollen- Cretaceous

B. Classification
shape most important
sculpture next in importance

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/pciesiel/gly3603c/palyno.html

9/28/2013

Page 3 of 5

III. SPORES

Related Searches:

A. General Inforamtion

Liberal Arts
Education

reproductive bodies of non-flowering "lower" plants (algae, fungi,

mosses, ferns)
spheroidal, tetrahedral or elongate
generally biconvex or planoconcave
surface sutures- surface sutures,scars or laesurae
1. monolete- Pennsylvanian
2. trilete- Lower Silurian to Recent
3. alete (no suture)
heterospores (Devonian)- two types by some plant of different size
1. microspores- male (<200 microns)
2. megaspores-female; many 500-2000 microns

Liberal Arts
College Of Arts
And Sciences

IV. Chitinozoans
A. General Information

Grad Student

an extinct group of unknown taxonomic affinity

hollow, organic walled
radially symmetrical about longitudinal axis
range: Ordovocian-Devonian

B. Morphology
flask-shaped chamber
1. shoulder
2. flank
3. oral tube
4. neck
5. base with central pore and concentric ribs
6. basal margin, sometimes with appendices

C. Classification
colonial tendancy
shape
nature of basal margin
internal structure
size

D. Biostratigraphy

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/pciesiel/gly3603c/palyno.html

9/28/2013

Page 4 of 5

less abundant than age-equvalent palynomorphs such as acritarchs

1-20 tests/ gram
many remain identifiable in strongly metamorphosed rock

Related Searches:

V. ACRITARCHS
A. MORPHOLOGY

Liberal Arts
Education
Liberal Arts
College Of Arts
And Sciences
Grad Student

varied: fusiform, discoid, spheroidal, polygonal

with or without spines and processes
size and chemical composition only common features
classified into non-Linnaean groupings and 13 subgroups without type
genera
apparently unicellular
test of organic substances, enclosing a central cavity
surface sculpture: smooth, granular, punctate, or perforate. Sculpturing<
5 microns, generally <2 microns
spines and other processes many be present: ridges, flanges, wings,
spines. Such processes >10-20% of central body diameter.
process differences important in classification

B. BIOSTRATIGRAPHY
found in the PreCambrain
1. Gunflint Chert (2 billion years old)
2. provide some limited stratigraphic use in PreCambrian of
Scotland and Russia
among palynomorphs, second only to Chitinozoans in stratigraphic
importance for Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian
remain abundant in Upper Paleozoic and Lower Mesozoic but less
varied in morphology
a restricted number of types are present from the Upper Mesozoic to
Recent. Known from Quaternary marine and non-marine record

VI. DINOFLAGELLATES
A. GENERAL
unicellular algae
biflagellate
5 microns to 2mm
autotrophic, photosyhthesis
have a vegetative stage and a encysted stage or resting cyst

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/pciesiel/gly3603c/palyno.html

9/28/2013

Page 5 of 5

B. BIOSTRATIGRAPHY
Related Searches:

oldest in the Silurian of Tunisian

not certainly found again until the Permian
insignificant in abundance until the Lower Jurassic
assume considerable importance in the Middle Jurassic
earliest calcareous dinos from Upper Jurassic
some siliceous ones appear in Early Tertiary

C. ECOLOGY-PALEOECOLOGY
?

Liberal Arts
Education
Liberal Arts
College Of Arts
And Sciences
Grad Student

phytoplankton
prefer constant light conditions, undergo diurnal migration
greatest concentration at 18-90m, 1-10m in turbid water
never >200m
must have sufficient water depth to undergo diurnal migration
dominant phytoplankton of the upper layer of ocean
greatest concentration above diatoms and coccolithophores
reduced abundance in with reduced salinity
oceans divided into floral provinces
cysts with thick walls indicate unstable, near-shore conditions
thinner walls found in open marine environment and have more
elaborate processes (for flotation)
note that spores and pollen most common palynomorphs near shore
with increasing acritarchs and dinos further from shore. Dominance of
acritarchs and dinos in open marine environment

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/pciesiel/gly3603c/palyno.html

9/28/2013