{"title":"An illustrated protocol for extracting palynomorphs from Early Pleistocene pollen-poor sediments using LST Fastfloat","authors":"Valérie Andrieu , Belinda Gambin","doi":"10.1016/j.revpalbo.2025.105372","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This method for extracting palynomorphs is specifically dedicated for Early Pleistocene pollen-poor carbonate or siliceous sediments in the Mediterranean, which are characterised by prolonged summer droughts. It utilises LST Fastfloat, a non-toxic, low viscosity sodium polytungstate heavy liquid. Due to its physical qualities, particularly its low viscosity, LST Fastfloat enables more efficient pollen concentration compared to other methods, including those that rely on alternative dense liquids.</div><div>This approach was applied to fluviatile and lacustrine deposits in both the western (Marseille) and eastern (Acıgöl, Kocabaş) Mediterranean. Unlike standard method, LST Fastfloat produced highly concentrated pollen residues and clear pollen slides, reducing analysis time, which is an important advantage in a labour-intensive discipline such as palynology. The primary drawback of this method is its high cost, although it is partially recyclable.</div><div>Our article is designed to be didactic and richly illustrated, featuring figures and photographs to facilitate its application, particularly for beginners. The positive results presented here may encourage researchers to sample sediments previously considered pollen-poor or devoid of palynomorphs, especially from understudied regions of major biogeographical or archaeological interest, such as the arid regions of the tropics and the Mediterranean.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54488,"journal":{"name":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","volume":"341 ","pages":"Article 105372"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034666725000934","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PALEONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This method for extracting palynomorphs is specifically dedicated for Early Pleistocene pollen-poor carbonate or siliceous sediments in the Mediterranean, which are characterised by prolonged summer droughts. It utilises LST Fastfloat, a non-toxic, low viscosity sodium polytungstate heavy liquid. Due to its physical qualities, particularly its low viscosity, LST Fastfloat enables more efficient pollen concentration compared to other methods, including those that rely on alternative dense liquids.
This approach was applied to fluviatile and lacustrine deposits in both the western (Marseille) and eastern (Acıgöl, Kocabaş) Mediterranean. Unlike standard method, LST Fastfloat produced highly concentrated pollen residues and clear pollen slides, reducing analysis time, which is an important advantage in a labour-intensive discipline such as palynology. The primary drawback of this method is its high cost, although it is partially recyclable.
Our article is designed to be didactic and richly illustrated, featuring figures and photographs to facilitate its application, particularly for beginners. The positive results presented here may encourage researchers to sample sediments previously considered pollen-poor or devoid of palynomorphs, especially from understudied regions of major biogeographical or archaeological interest, such as the arid regions of the tropics and the Mediterranean.
期刊介绍:
The Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology is an international journal for articles in all fields of palaeobotany and palynology dealing with all groups, ranging from marine palynomorphs to higher land plants. Original contributions and comprehensive review papers should appeal to an international audience. Typical topics include but are not restricted to systematics, evolution, palaeobiology, palaeoecology, biostratigraphy, biochronology, palaeoclimatology, paleogeography, taphonomy, palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, vegetation history, and practical applications of palaeobotany and palynology, e.g. in coal and petroleum geology and archaeology. The journal especially encourages the publication of articles in which palaeobotany and palynology are applied for solving fundamental geological and biological problems as well as innovative and interdisciplinary approaches.