The study of small fossils such as pollen, spores, and microscopic organisms, which can provide important information about past ecosystems.
Microfossil Preservation: Understanding the conditions that are required to preserve microfossils, such as temperatures, pressure, and chemical composition of the sediment.
Microfossil Identification: Learning about the various forms and structures of microfossils and how they can be identified.
Stratigraphy: Understanding the principles of stratigraphy, the methods of dating rocks and microfossils, and how these are used to understand Earth's history.
Paleoenvironments: Studying the environmental conditions of the past and the impact they had on microfossil evolution and distribution.
Micropaleontology Techniques: Developing the skills required to collect, process, and analyze microfossil samples.
Taxonomy: Classifying and describing microfossils based on their morphological characteristics, and understanding their relationships to other organisms.
Biogeography: Examining the distribution patterns of microfossils and how these have changed over time due to shifting continents, environmental pressures, and other factors.
Fossil Record: Examining the fossil record and how it can be used to understand the evolution of microorganisms and their relationships to other organisms.
Paleoecology: Investigating the interactions between microfossils and other organisms, as well as their role in ancient ecosystems.
Environmental Change: Understanding how changes in environmental conditions have affected microfossil populations over geologic time.
Foraminifera: Complex microscopic single-celled protozoan organisms that have a shell made of calcium carbonate. They are abundant in both marine and freshwater environments and their shells vary in shape.
Radiolaria: Single-celled protozoan organisms that secrete complex siliceous shells with intricate patterns. They are abundant in marine environments and their shells are often used to study climate change.
Diatoms: Single-celled photosynthetic organisms that secrete siliceous shells with a distinctive ornamentation. They are abundant in freshwater and marine environments and are commonly used in environmental studies as indicators of water quality.
Coccolithophores: Single-celled photosynthetic organisms that secrete calcareous plates with intricate ornamentation. They are abundant in marine environments and their plates can be used to study changes in sea surface temperature.
Ostracods: Crustaceans with a bivalve shell that are abundant in both marine and freshwater environments. They have a long fossil record and their shells are used to examine environmental changes and biodiversity.
Conodonts: Tiny tooth-like structures found in marine sedimentary rocks that are associated with extinct eel-like vertebrates. They have a long fossil record and are useful for studying the evolution of vertebrates.
Charophytes: Aquatic plants that secrete calcareous structures called gyrogonites. They are important indicators of freshwater environments and are used to study environmental changes.
Nannoplankton: Single-celled algae that secrete small calcareous or siliceous plates. They are abundant in marine environments and their plates are used to study climatic and environmental changes.