Methodological papers advise to collect moss surface samples either at the beginning or at the end of the flowering season. In reality, such collections occur often within the flowering season for purposes of vegetation description or because of accessibility of remote study areas. Here we test whether the season of moss surface sample collection has an influence on pollen spectra. Ten moss/litter

Abstract As one of the remaining living links with two early Scandinavian researchers, the author examines their contribution to Evitt´s breakthrough that launched the development of fossil dinoflagellate cysts into palynology. Evitt, in the early 1960s, revealed that many fossil hystrichospheres were in fact dinoflagellate cysts. Trygve Braarud, a Norwegian phytoplankton biologist, and Gunnar Erdtman

A detailed palynological study was conducted in the lower Palaeozoic of the Zagros Basin (southwestern Iran) where the Mila and Ilbeyk formations are present in several areas. The Mila Formation mainly consists of dolostones, limestones and shales deposited in a shallow marine to outer ramp environment. It is conformably overlain by the Ilbeyk Formation, characterized by shales and sandstones with

Since the publication of five literature compilations issued between 2012 and 2020, 63 further published contributions on Triassic, Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous (Berriasian) dinoflagellate cysts have been discovered, or were issued in the last 14 months (i.e. between February 2019 and March 2020). These studies are on North Africa, Southern Africa, East Arctic, West Arctic, east and west sub-Arctic

Seven semi-consolidated surface sediment samples from the tidal flats along the southern Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia were studied for their palynomorph assemblages. These samples are mainly clay and fine sand and yielded low numbers but high diversity of palynomorphs. They belong to various affinities and have been divided into five groups: A. Pollen and spores; B. Dinoflagellate cysts and algal

This paper presents the formal description of Impagidinium obscurum sp. nov. from the Thanetian strata of northwest Europe. The palaeogeographic distribution of this species covers a wide area, ranging from the North Sea to the Barents Sea. Palynologists working in the region have long referred to Impagidinium obscurum sp. nov. as Leptodinium? ‘obscurum’ and used it as an important intra-Paleocene

Pollen grains of primitive varieties of Hordeum vulgare collected by the Gene Bank of the Crop Research Institute, Prague, are compared to pollen of native Glyceria species of the United Kingdom with a view to establishing separation criteria. It is found that a separation of Hordeum vulgare from both Glyceria maxima and Glyceria fluitans is possible according to annular characteristics in combination

This article presents a reconstruction of Late Holocene vegetation changes within the lower montane forest zone in the Beskid Wyspowy Mountains (Western Carpathians, Central Europe). Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, loss on ignition, and microscopic charcoal analyses were applied to a profile collected from the deposits of the rich fen which developed in the landslide depression. The results reveal

Melissopalynological studies are useful to determine the floral contents and geographical origin of honey samples. The great botanical diversity in the Amazon allows bees to produce honey that is highly valuable in Peruvian culture. However, pollen analyses and labels that provide information on honey contents are scarce; therefore, people do not know what types of honey they are consuming and paying

The palynological sequence in core QZMS from Qizimei Mountain, central China, reflects the vegetation and climate dynamics since 12,900 calibrated years before present (cal yr BP). A palynological analysis demonstrated that the temperate deciduous broadleaved and coniferous mixed forest that was present from 12,900 to 10,600 cal yr BP changed to a deciduous broadleaved and coniferous mixed forest from

The taxonomy of the dinoflagellate cyst-based genus Votadinium has been in need of revision. This is accomplished here by integrating morphology, large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequences, and cyst wall composition analyses through micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Three new species, Votadinium pontifossatum, V. rhomboideum and V. reidii, are described as cyst stages of Protoperidinium paraoblongum

Forty-four rock samples from the Landana section, belonging to the historical Dartevelle collection of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) at Tervuren, Belgium, were palynologically processed and analysed. Systematic analysis of the samples from the Landana sea cliff locality has revealed 90 dinoflagellate cyst taxa spanning an interval that ranges at least from the middle Paleocene to the late

The present study aims to document modern pollen assemblages and compare them with the extant vegetation, through palynological analysis of 40 modern moss cushions, from the Akhnoor sector of Jammu District (Jammu and Kashmir), India. The study revealed that the pollen of Pinus sp. (average 62%) dominates the pollen assemblages. The over-representation of Pinus pollen could be attributed to its high

Thalassiphora and other large ‘winged’ dinoflagellate cysts common in Oligocene–Pliocene stratified epicontinental seas display morphological variation greater than the plasticity of extant taxa, thereby raising questions about causes. This variation has been attributed either to directed ontogeny in response to salinity or oxygen gradients or to evolutionary development in response to special environmental

Modern pollen dispersal studies from the phytogeographically and climatically different regions [the Peninsular and extra-Peninsular regions (the Himalaya), the Ganga-Brahmaputra Plain and the coastal regions] of India are summarised and reviewed in the present communication. We have incorporated all the works undertaken on modern pollen dispersal aspects in India. It must be noted that initial studies

(2020). Bernard Owens (1938–2019) Palynology: Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 195-204.

In western Amazonia, palynology has been the main source of chronological information for the Neogene period. The Solimões Formation in northwestern Brazil has hundreds of meters of fine-grained rocks that have yielded rich pollen records informing on age and paleoenvironments. Here, we present new pollen data for two boreholes (1-AS-33-AM and 1-AS-37-AM) in the Solimões Basin and one outcrop (Patos)

The purposes of this study were to provide palynological information about apricots and to reveal the relationships among six ecological groups of apricots by describing the morphological characteristics of their pollen. The pollen grains of 175 accessions belonging to three species (Prunus armeniaca L., Prunus sibirica L., and Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) of Prunus were examined using light microscopy

A new dinoflagellate cyst genus and species are described here as Hiddenocysta gen. nov. and Hiddenocysta matsuokae sp. nov. from Holocene sediments in a core from the west coast of Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada). The genus Hiddenocysta encompasses spherical to ovoid skolochorate cysts, characterized by a gonyaulacoid plate pattern and a 2P precingular archeopyle. The species H. matsuokae

Six tablets, probably an ancient collyrium, were discovered in a tin pyxis recovered during the archaeological excavation of the so-called Pozzino shipwreck found in the Baratti gulf, near Piombino (Tuscany, Italy). The tablets were previously studied from a historical point of view; micro-morphological and chemical analyses were then performed to establish their composition. In addition, the tablets

Nineteen Neotropical species of the genus Dioscorea L. were subjected to palynological analysis with the objectives of increasing palynological knowledge and identifying characteristics with taxonomic and phylogenetic value. More specifically, the aim was to identify characters that distinguish species and help to resolve relationships among New World clades (i.e. clades NW I, NW II and NW III). Botanical

The first mid-Polish group is the youngest among the main Neogene lignite seams in Poland. Lignites of this group developed in the middle Miocene over almost the whole of Poland, and therefore they are an important correlation horizon throughout much of the Polish Lowlands. A total of 30 palynological samples from the 3-metre seam from the Adamów deposit (central Poland) were studied in detail. The

A mid neritic-upper bathyal Ypresian section at Aktulagay, western Kazakhstan, has been analyzed palynologically. A number of key dinoflagellate cyst events are directly calibrated with published calcareous nannofossil data from the same section. The events are used to identify eight dinoflagellate cyst zones from a recently established zonation, used elsewhere in the eastern Peri-Tethys, and to calibrate

Palynological analysis and radiocarbon dating of a short sediment core from a high-altitude mire in the Arasbaran area of northwestern Iran reveals long-term vegetation dynamics, climate change and anthropogenic impact. Our findings indicate the prevalence of semi-desert steppe vegetation, with a variety of Asteraceae – mainly Lactuceae – species from 3000 to 1440 cal yr BP. This period is followed

At the end of the Cretaceous Period, an asteroid collided with the Earth and formed the Chicxulub impact structure on the Yucatán Platform. International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 364 drilled into the peak ring of the Chicxulub impact crater. The post-impact section of the core was sampled for terrestrial palynological analysis, yielding a high-resolution record ranging from the early

Western Amazonia underwent dramatic changes in its landscape and environments during the Neogene, which led to its extant, hyperdiverse, tropical rainforest. Although the palynological fossil record has been the most useful proxy for understanding the history of the Amazonian biome, the floristic composition and diversity of the Neogene and the present Amazonian environments have never been thoroughly

Paisley 5 Mile Point Caves, Oregon, U.S.A. offer a unique perspective on Native Americans living in the Great Basin during the Younger Dryas. The cave sediments are mixed with abundant, disaggregated, packrat coprolites. We developed a technique for processing these packrat coprolites. Using this technique, this study analyses fifteen packrat coprolite samples separated from sediments collected from

The Western Carpathians have recently been examined in several palaeoecological studies. However, some of their parts remain underexplored in terms of the Holocene history of mountain woodlands. We analysed an 8000-year-old peat sequence from the southern part of the Western Carpathians (the Bykovo site) for pollen, needles and stomata, and reviewed the data on the occurrence and spread of beech since

Pollen grains of seven Jasione (Campanulaceae) taxa from Turkey were investigated: J. heldreichii Boiss & Orph., J. idaea Stoj., J. montana L., J. supina subsp. supina, J. supina subsp. pontica, J. supina subsp. akmanii, and J. supina subsp. tmolea. Four of the investigated taxa were in the VU (vulnerable) category and one is in the LC (least concern) category (categorized by the International Union

The palynology (150 species of pollen grains, 43 species of spores, eight species of dinoflagellate cysts, five genera of algae, two genera of fungal spores, foraminiferal linings, and copepod eggs) of the Neogene succession in the Marañon Basin, north Peru, was thoroughly investigated for the first time from six industrial wells (Arabela-1X, Maynas-1, Tucunare-1X, Tigrillo-30X, Nahuapa-24X, and La

In this paper we examine pollen types from four representative subfamilies of Euphorbiaceae in southern China, including 34 species (21 genera) of Crotonoideae, Euphorbioideae, Acalyphoideae and Phyllanthoideae. The morphology of the investigated species is described and illustrated with high-resolution photographs observed by transmitted light microscope. These descriptions and illustrations are presented

This renewed palynological study of the Mount Johnstone Formation, at Balickera in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales (eastern Australia), discloses a considerably more diverse palynoflora – termed the Grandispora maculosa Assemblage – than was reported in 1968. Represented are some 51 species of palynomorphs, comprising 46 species of trilete spores (distributed among 27 genera), three species

Fungal remains similar to those described as Desmidiospora willoughbyi were found in samples from the Río Foyel section (El Foyel Group of Paleogene age), Ñirihuau Basin, Argentina. A full description and illustrations are presented. The names D. willoughbyi and D. marginiconvoluta as defined are shown to be inadequate. The history of the names and actual affinity of taxa presently assigned to those

Pollen morphology of 79 species, one subspecies and eight varieties representing nine genera of tribe Alsineae and two of tribe Sperguleae was studied using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Among them, 53 species and eight varieties (22 species of which are endemic to China) were reported for the first time. The results demonstrate that the number of pores, the pollen surface

This study documents ‘colonial’ palynomorphs from the Upper Ordovician Ghelli Formation of north-eastern Iran. The aggregates of organic-walled microfossils come from the Katian Armoricochitina nigerica–Ancyrochitina merga chitinozoan biozones of this formation. The ‘colonial’ microfossils can be classified as acritarchs and/or cryptospores, but they cannot be attributed to a particular biological

The ultrastructure of anthers, staminodes, and pollen of Mangifera indica L. was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and pollen viability assessed using light (LM) and fluorescence microscopy (FM). Ultrastructural observation revealed anther surfaces with polygonal cells and hollow centres arranged in a reticulate manner, with swollen cells on the edges of the anther surfaces. Anther

Diverse and moderately to poorly preserved palynofloras occur in the lower Middle Jurassic strata of the Hojedk Formation in the Chahrekhneh, southwest of Tabas, east central Iran. The palynofloras comprise 56 species including spores (15 species allocated to seven genera), various types of pollen (30 species designated to 16 genera), dinoflagellate cysts (five representatives of three genera), and

Although Bahia presents high honey production, considering the national scenario, and has a diversity of environments, studies that characterize the state bee flora using melissopalynology cover relatively little spatial area. In this sense, we aimed to characterize the pollen spectrum of Apis mellifera L., 1758 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from the Discovery Coast, Bahia. To this end, 21 honey samples were

The genera Adenia Forssk., Crossostemma Planch. ex Benth. and Schlechterina Harms are members of the tribe Passifloreae DC., one of two tribes belonging to Passifloraceae sensu stricto. The genus Adenia is considered the sister group of all Passifloraceae sensu stricto, or as the sister to the other genera of the tribe Passifloreae. Crossostemma and Schlechterina are sister taxa. The objective of the

Organisms fossilised in amber include insects, plant remains and (rarely) fungi. One reason for the latter could be that fungal tissue decomposes quickly under the (sub-)tropical conditions where amber-producing trees thrive. Moreover, resin production is highest during drier seasons, while fungi usually occur during wetter periods. One way to improve the knowledge about fungal and similar records

In the summer of 2016, the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 364 cored through the post-impact strata of the end-Cretaceous Chicxulub impact crater, Mexico. Core samples were collected from the post-impact successions for terrestrial palynological analysis, yielding a rare Danian to Ypresian high-resolution palynological assemblage. This record constitutes one of the first Palaeocene

Abstract An earlier proposal of euglenid affinity for the acritarch Moyeria was based primarily on the pattern of bi-helical striate ornamentation as seen in scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Examination of specimens using transmission electron microscopy reveals that the ‘striae’ are actually integral components of the microfossil wall itself, corresponding to the pellicle strips

Abstract This is a biography and obituary of the German Democratic Republic palynologist Dr Eberhard Schulz (1931–2017). A pioneer in Mesozoic palynology, he established, together with other important palynologists of that time, the basis of today’s palynological research, especially in the Triassic and Jurassic of Eastern Germany. His comprehensive range charts, numerous new type descriptions, and

Pollen analysis supported by 25 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dates from the Tăul Negru peat bog (1143 m) in the Lăpuş Mountains (Eastern Carpathians, Romania) is used to reconstruct the Holocene vegetation history of this mountain region. The vegetation record at Tăul Negru starts at c. 10,500 cal yr BP with dense montane forests dominated by Picea abies (spruce) and Ulmus (elm). Corylus

In this study we analysed fossil Poaceae pollen of the Holocene from the Coastal Plain of Rio Grande do Sul (Águas Claras region), southern Brazil. Through light microscopy analysis, we measured the size of 60 pollen grains in the 28 samples (or, in samples with low frequency of Poaceae, sufficient pollen grains for the number of measurements to show a stability curve). The measurements of fossil Poaceae

There are few publications on the precise age and palaeogeography of the Palaeozoic rocks of Colombia. In the present study the Pluspetrol Paisa-1 well, located in the central part of the Colombian Llanos Orientales Basin, is investigated palynologically, in order to determine the age, the palaeoenvironment and the palaeogeography of the sediments. The lowermost stratigraphical interval of the well

Honey samples produced in the years 2010 and 2011, in an area of caatinga vegetation in the semi-arid region of Piauí State (Brazil), were analyzed using microscopy in order to track their botanical origin by the pollen grains present. Samples (19) were dissolved in ethanol and acetolyzed. The absolute concentration of pollen grains was obtained by comparison with the exotic marker Lycopodium clavatum

Since the publication of four compilations issued between 2012 and 2019, 93 further published contributions on Triassic, Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous (Berriasian) dinoflagellate cysts from Africa, North America, South America, the Arctic, Australasia, East Europe, West Europe, the Middle East and Russia have been discovered in the literature, or were issued in the last 12 months (i.e. between February

This study is an attempt to evaluate the relationships between vegetation and modern pollen rain in Siaha District, Southern Mizoram, India, as a contribution to palaeoecological research. A set of 21 pollen substrates (surface soil and moss pollsters) were obtained from the vicinity of Pala Lake, the biggest natural lake in Mizoram. Two thick spider web samples were also incorporated to measure the