PAL YNOLOGY IN RELATION TO OTHER

MICROP ALEONTOLOGICAL METHODS

M F GLAESSNER
University of Adelaide Australia

ABSTRACT

The study of palynomorphs spores pollen hystrichospheres dinoflagellates chitinozoans

alHI several other types of algal and protistan entities has considerably extended the
geologic
range and environments of deposition which can he studied or analyzed in micropaleontology
Palynology may help to fill peculiar gaps in the time range of foraminiferal index fossils
wbere their evolution is slow or indistinct It also provides valuable
stratigraphic and
paleoecologic information where foraminifera are ahsent or rare because of type of facies
It is particularly
important and fundamentally necessary to understand the hiological nature
of these palynomorphs where factors of ecology or evolution are to be evaluated
Palynology
may use the experience developed in more estahlished hranches of micropaleontology to avoid
many pitfalls such as technicalities of taxonomy and nomeuclature compilation of catalogues
systematic indexes data handling and retrieval systems or programs and recognition of the
fact that there is only one stratigraphy hased on a synthesis of all paleontologic information

In the of the last 20

course years great and increasing stratigraphic value
palynology has definitely taken its from Ordovician to Devonian Hystri
place
among the various fields of micropale chosphaerids range upward from the
ontological studies A hrief review of Cambrian
the relations between older and newer Of
particular interest are recent dis
kinds of microfossil investigations seems coveries of plant spores and spore like
now worthwhile In the future palynol objects not only in Early Cambrian but
ogy may be able to avoid the difficult also in Precambrian sediments S Jll1e
and circuitous paths which foraminif claimed discoveries of plant microfossils
eral has taken in the in metamorphic rocks particularly those
micropalentology
course of its longer history For the of Precambrian Archean
early age
purpose of this discussion we take paly are to be discounted
the results of
as

nology in the widest sense including in migration by way of fissures or cracks

it the study of all microfossils which are of younger material into older rocks and

prepared by palynological methods as others may be due to contamination

distinct from the techniques of alkaline There is however no reason to doubt

washing of disintegrated rock for for the real occurrence of spores and spore
amini fera or ostracods or of sectioning like microfossils in sediments of
organic
of hard rocks Late Precambrian and Cambrian
Early
The palynological objects in
of Claims have been made that these
study age
this sense assemblages have useful
palynomorphs extends the proved for
time range of micropaleontology Foram stratigraphic correlation
of ancient and
ini fera the classical objects of micro therefore otherwise un fossili ferous stra
Such claims have been disputed by
paleontological studies are not generally ta

useful in sediments that are older than other stratigraphers Accepting the exis
Devonian while the use of ostracods tence of these sporomorphs and allowing
extends down to Ordovician and Silu for further improvement of the methods
rian strata Conodonts have been found of their extraction preparation descrip
in the Late Cambrian and supply good tion and proper of what is
assessment

index fossils for Ordovician Silurian indigenous and what is contamination it

and Devonian rocks Chitinozoa are of may well be only a question of time be

14
 PALYNOLOGY IN RELATION TO OTHER METHODS 15

fore they become the only useful index Albian Consequently a combination of
fossils for this interval of time palynological and other micropaleonto
In addition these occurrences support logical techniques is becoming the gen
the view that provided strncture and erally accepted practice in the applica
suitable unaLered sedi tion of microfossil studies to Australian
lithology are

ments of Late Precambrian such petroleum exploration

age
as exist in Australia and around other Palynology provides valuablc assist
old continental shields are worthwhile ance not only where foramini fera are

entirely absent but also where they

obj ectives for petroleum exploration are

in unsuitable facies In
Palynology seems also destined to fill rare as an

marine sediments deposited in reducing

peculiar gaps in the time range of foram a

iniferal index fossils These gaps are environment black shales and in the
acid lVironment of cold water deposits
apparently indicative of periods of less e

rapid evolution of this group of protozoa wh ich are common in the southern part
Such lapses of the stratigraphic index of Australia in the
Mesozoic and Ter
value of foraminifera are particularly tiary foramini fera are often poorly rep
noticeable in
late Permian and Trias resented while plant microplankton is
sic and again in the late Jurassic and richly represented The microplankton
Cretaceous Palynological zoning flora is complementary also to radio
early
of rocks of these ages has been more larian and diatomaceous biota in siliceous
successful than foraminiferal sediments which have yet received com
zoning
These intervals of time are also phases paratively little attention
of The combination of strictly stratigra
regression over large areas and paly
nology provides valuable means for cor phic studies correlation and age de
marine with brackish water and termination with of
relating investigations
terrestrial sediments facies distribution is the basis of modern
Such correlations between different comprehensive basin studies in petroleum
facies indicate another of the exploration Such studies are the first
aspect
extension of
palynology beyond the approach to a geological theory of the
limits of foraminiferal
micropaleontol origin of petroleum resources Palynol
ogy Foraminifera are dominantly ma ogy together with other studies of the
rine Those that occur in brackish water distribution of organisms of the past has
have limited value become essential part of such studies
only stratigraphic an

Ostracods have been used to fi1 this The abundance of all kinds of microfos
but their time range and practical sils makes it possible and desirable to
gap
use are limited Spores and po1 en have apply statistical methods which contrib

proved of immense value in detailed ute to an important advance in biostratig

of paralic in which raphy We are now able to advance
zoning sequences
marine and non marine strata alternate from the utilization of purely empirical
and in continental deposits Australian index fossils to a fully scientific under

stratigraphers are particularly interested standing of the factors which have

in this expansion of micropaleontology hrought about their observed distribu
Several major sedimentary basins are tion The analyses of their distribution
takes into consideration factors of evolu
marginal to the Australian continent
and contain extensive paralic sedimentary tion which are elucidated by variational
series The Great Artesian Basin one of statistics of populations It
successive
the largest in the world is fi1 ed mostly also considers dispersal under the influ
with continental late Paleozoic Meso ence of paleogeographic and paleoeco
zoic and Tertiary sediments in which logic conditions and fossilization The
there is only one marine sequence term taphonomy is now used for

ranging in age from about Aptian to problems concerning the transfer of re

16 lif F GLAESSNER

mains or parts of organisms from the destined

Micropaleontology seems to

biosphere to the lithosphere Problems playa leading part in new approaches to

of taphonomy require particularly care paleontology hecause of the abundance
ful study in the interpretation of fossils of data and the fertilization of theoreti
consisting of organic matter and of the cal studies
by extensive practical appli
remains of plants which did live cation
not Palynology an integral part of
within the areas of sedimentation micropaleontology and therefore of pale
Where factors of evolution and ecol
ontology will advance more speedily and
ogy are to be evaluated it is essential less laboriously if palynologists make full
to understand the hiological nature of use of earlier accumulated experience of

fossil remains The seemingly objective other micropaleontologists This con

hut actually superficial approach to fos cerns firstly the avoidance or elimination

sils as purely physical entities their of man made complexities and unneces
purely descriptive treatment and exclu sary legal technicalities in taxonomy and

sively morphological rather than func nomenclature and the encouragement of

tional comparative study is now giving compilation and systematic cataloguing
way in palynology as in other branches and indexing of information with the in
of micro and macropaleontology to troduction of modern techniques of data
approaches to a detailed biological eval storage and processing Secondly it re
uation This is a practical necessity quires the recognition of the fact that
rather than an academic luxury because there is only one stratigraphy not several
of serious errors arising from faulty independent stratigraphies each based on
assessment of general and superficial a strictly separate group of microfossils

similarities or differences It will suffice We have come to recognize that there is

here to mention alternation
of genera no trilobite or ammonite stratigraphy as

tions differences between different sep distinct from a graptolite or foramini feral

arately occurring parts or organs of a stratigraphy but only a sequence of bio

single organism growth stages or re stratigraphic zones each characterized
productive stages as factors producing by the most suitable assemblage of dis
spurious differences Correspondingly tincti ve horizontally widespread and
evolutionary convergence adaptive or vertically restricted fossils The relative
functional analogies of organs or me time stratigraphic scale is traditionally
chanical deformation are factors pro based on major events in animal evolu
ducing spurious similarities An analysis tion such as the extinction of major
of factors in the distribution of fossil groups at the end of the Paleozoic or the
organisms presupposes knowledge
some Mesozoic It is well known that major
of their functioning and their physiology in evolution do not coincide
events plant
as well as their anatomy Just as the with what occurred within the animal
knowledge that stromatolites are of algal kingdom This tends to cause difficulties
origin and fucoids are not plants influ in age determinations which are based
CIlced our knowledge of sedimentology on purely palynological data but have to

and just as accumulating knowledge of he expressed in terms of the traditional

the biology of planktonic foraminifera stratigraphic scale It is however equally
helps to interpret their distribution and useless and
impracticable to look for

improve their use in stratigraphy so will major events in palynological sequences

a decision on whether all hystricho that would mark e the end of the
g
sphaerids are the same kind of organism Cretaceous as it would be to invent
or an understanding of the nature of a new stratigraphic scale based on pa
Cambrian of Paleozoic
sporomorphs or lynology alone lYe must operate with
Chitinozoa advance their use in modern zones as units and with their groupings
analytical biostratigraphy and establish their placing in the con
 PALYNOLOGY IN RELATION TO OTHER lllETHODS 17

ventional relative scale of geological time mutually their efficiency in exploration

We must recognize therefore the need The same integration should be the aim
for integrated and fully
cooperative in the training of micropaleontologists
rather than separate and
competitive The fact that university courses now
studies of stratigraphic sequences by include micropaleontology in paleontol
workers in foraminiferal and palynologi ogy and palynology in micropaleontology
cal laboratories ahle to apply all micro is a hopeful pointer to the future advance

paleontological techniques and to check of these sciences