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Morphological variability of peteinoid acritarchs from the Middle Ordovician of Öland, Sweden, and implications for acritarch classification

Kroeck, David M. ; Eriksson, Mats E. LU ; Lindskog, Anders LU ; Munnecke, Axel ; Dubois, Michel ; Régnier, Sylvie and Servais, Thomas (2021) In Palynology 45(4). p.705-715
Abstract

Investigation of large populations of peteinoid acritarchs recovered from Middle Ordovician strata of the Hälludden and Horns Udde quarry sections (Öland, Sweden) allows for statistical analyses based on morphometric measurements. The results indicate the presence of assemblages with a continuous variability of morphotypes, thus a distinction of different peteinoid acritarch taxa in the sections proved to be impossible. This challenges the currently accepted classification based on a differentiation into the three genera Peteinosphaeridium, Cycloposphaeridium and Liliosphaeridium, and a multitude of different species; individual taxa are essentially arbitrary as morphotypes intergrade. Investigations on modern dinoflagellates show that... (More)

Investigation of large populations of peteinoid acritarchs recovered from Middle Ordovician strata of the Hälludden and Horns Udde quarry sections (Öland, Sweden) allows for statistical analyses based on morphometric measurements. The results indicate the presence of assemblages with a continuous variability of morphotypes, thus a distinction of different peteinoid acritarch taxa in the sections proved to be impossible. This challenges the currently accepted classification based on a differentiation into the three genera Peteinosphaeridium, Cycloposphaeridium and Liliosphaeridium, and a multitude of different species; individual taxa are essentially arbitrary as morphotypes intergrade. Investigations on modern dinoflagellates show that these can develop variable cyst morphologies depending on environmental factors. By analogy, it can be hypothesised that the different morphologies observed among the peteinoid acritarchs from Öland are cysts produced by only very few phytoplanktic organisms (or even a single species) with high morphological variability.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
ecophenotypism, Palaeozoic Darriwilian, Phytoplankton, taxonomy
in
Palynology
volume
45
issue
4
pages
11 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:85106213213
ISSN
0191-6122
DOI
10.1080/01916122.2021.1916785
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2021 AASP–The Palynological Society.
id
5f71be11-f33d-4fce-a450-9b1fe551b0df
date added to LUP
2021-12-07 16:54:46
date last changed
2023-02-02 08:00:51
@article{5f71be11-f33d-4fce-a450-9b1fe551b0df,
  abstract     = {{<p>Investigation of large populations of peteinoid acritarchs recovered from Middle Ordovician strata of the Hälludden and Horns Udde quarry sections (Öland, Sweden) allows for statistical analyses based on morphometric measurements. The results indicate the presence of assemblages with a continuous variability of morphotypes, thus a distinction of different peteinoid acritarch taxa in the sections proved to be impossible. This challenges the currently accepted classification based on a differentiation into the three genera Peteinosphaeridium, Cycloposphaeridium and Liliosphaeridium, and a multitude of different species; individual taxa are essentially arbitrary as morphotypes intergrade. Investigations on modern dinoflagellates show that these can develop variable cyst morphologies depending on environmental factors. By analogy, it can be hypothesised that the different morphologies observed among the peteinoid acritarchs from Öland are cysts produced by only very few phytoplanktic organisms (or even a single species) with high morphological variability.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kroeck, David M. and Eriksson, Mats E. and Lindskog, Anders and Munnecke, Axel and Dubois, Michel and Régnier, Sylvie and Servais, Thomas}},
  issn         = {{0191-6122}},
  keywords     = {{ecophenotypism; Palaeozoic Darriwilian; Phytoplankton; taxonomy}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{705--715}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Palynology}},
  title        = {{Morphological variability of peteinoid acritarchs from the Middle Ordovician of Öland, Sweden, and implications for acritarch classification}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01916122.2021.1916785}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/01916122.2021.1916785}},
  volume       = {{45}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}