Genus Krithe (Ostracoda) as a Proxy to Decipher Paleoceanography: A Global Review of the Genu

Abstract

Ostracoda shells provide valuable insight into the ecology, hydrology, and aquatic chemistry of the environment [1]. The sensitivity of Ostracoda on feeble environmental fluctuations, make them a good marker for the interpretation of geological past. Distribution of Ostracod species varies with environmental conditions and sedimentological parameters. They can tolerate a wide salinity ranges [2] and hence, can occur in different environmental settingsmarine, brackish, fresh waters, mangrove ecosystems and wet paddy fields. Ostracoda genera, Krithe is benthic pandemic fauna and is globally distributed [3] which diversely occur in deep sea, escalated greatly by its paleo environmental and paleo-oceanographic applications. Being a temperature dependent, salinity tolerant, mud loving genus and moreover a widely distributed genus across the oceans, the genus and its capacity stands unique for correlation of diverse ocean settings. The occurrence of Krithe is attributed to zone of upwelling and cold-water regions [4]. Different studies pertaining to the deep sea, multi proxy analysis in genera Krithe is handy. The exploration on paleoceanography using the genera is not receiving any mileage, because of lack of a proper compilation.