Palynodinium | |
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Bright-field photomicrograph of Palynodinium grallator produced by Sandy McLachlan, University of Victoria from the Oyster Bay Formation of eastern Vancouver Island. | |
Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
Clade: | SAR |
Clade: | Alveolata |
Phylum: | Myzozoa |
Superclass: | Dinoflagellata |
Class: | Dinophyceae |
Order: | Gonyaulacales |
Family: | † Areoligeraceae |
Genus: | †
Palynodinium H.Gocht, 1970 |
Palynodinium is an extinct genus of organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst (or dinocyst). It is a fossil species of dinoflagellate cyst used to demarcate the K/Pg boundary, which marks the terminal Cretaceous and the extinction of the dinosaurs. [1] Palynodinium grallator was among the microfossils which lead to the recent discovery of the K/Pg event record in marine sediments of the northeast Pacific.
Dinoflagellate cysts are estimated to be produced by 10–16% of living dinoflagellates [2] [3] as a dormant, zygotic stage of their life cycle, which can accumulate in marine sediments as microfossils. Organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts are noted for their resistance to degradation owing to their composition of dinosporin, a biopolymer similar to sporopolinin characteristic of many terrestrial palynomorphs. [4] [5] Their abundance, cosmopolitan distribution, and quality of preservation in the fossil record since the Middle Triassic [6] [7] make dinoflagellate cysts excellent indicators of primary productivity [8] [9] as well as tools for biostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. [10] [11] The scope of dinoflagellate cyst applications has resulted in ongoing collaborative efforts between industry and academia to refine their taxonomic classification [12] and enhance their utility through database organization. [13]
Palynodinium | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Bright-field photomicrograph of Palynodinium grallator produced by Sandy McLachlan, University of Victoria from the Oyster Bay Formation of eastern Vancouver Island. | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
Clade: | SAR |
Clade: | Alveolata |
Phylum: | Myzozoa |
Superclass: | Dinoflagellata |
Class: | Dinophyceae |
Order: | Gonyaulacales |
Family: | † Areoligeraceae |
Genus: | †
Palynodinium H.Gocht, 1970 |
Palynodinium is an extinct genus of organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst (or dinocyst). It is a fossil species of dinoflagellate cyst used to demarcate the K/Pg boundary, which marks the terminal Cretaceous and the extinction of the dinosaurs. [1] Palynodinium grallator was among the microfossils which lead to the recent discovery of the K/Pg event record in marine sediments of the northeast Pacific.
Dinoflagellate cysts are estimated to be produced by 10–16% of living dinoflagellates [2] [3] as a dormant, zygotic stage of their life cycle, which can accumulate in marine sediments as microfossils. Organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts are noted for their resistance to degradation owing to their composition of dinosporin, a biopolymer similar to sporopolinin characteristic of many terrestrial palynomorphs. [4] [5] Their abundance, cosmopolitan distribution, and quality of preservation in the fossil record since the Middle Triassic [6] [7] make dinoflagellate cysts excellent indicators of primary productivity [8] [9] as well as tools for biostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. [10] [11] The scope of dinoflagellate cyst applications has resulted in ongoing collaborative efforts between industry and academia to refine their taxonomic classification [12] and enhance their utility through database organization. [13]