Palynology

Diversity of life

What pollen and spores reveal

Some plants leave evidence invisible to the naked eye. Pollen and spores reveal vegetation and help assess the age of a deposit.

Spore of the fern Concavissimisporites variverrucatus, diameter given in the source: 60 μm. © E. Masure. Dinosaures, les géants du vignoble, 2017, p. 145.

Living horsetails at Archingeay: a botanical comparison. © Ronan Allain. Dinosaures, les géants du vignoble, 2017, p. 150.

The method in practice

Palynology studies these small organic remains. Samples are collected from identified layers, prepared and examined under a microscope. Forms are compared with references and considered within an assemblage. Their meaning depends on context and possible transport or reworking.

At Angeac and in regional comparisons

Angeac’s clays and marls have yielded spores and pollen representing liverworts, lycophytes, ferns and conifers. These microremains complement wood and larger plant organs. Identification also contributes to dating the deposit and comparing strata.

What this research reveals

Pollen, spores and fossil wood provide complementary information about vegetation. Their distribution in samples reflects both the plants present and transport of their remains to the depositional site.

People and expertise

Véronique Daviero-Gomez and Bernard Gomez’s botanical work helps interpret the vegetation. Palynology combines this work with spore and pollen identification and stratigraphic analysis.

Véronique Daviero-Gomez Bernard Gomez

All the people behind the project →