Fossil invertebrates records in cave sediments and paleoenvironmental assessments – a study of four cave sites from Romanian Carpathians
Fossil invertebrates from cave sediments have been recently described as a potential new proxy for paleoenvironment and used in cross-correlations with alternate proxy records from cave deposits. Here we present the results of a fossil invertebrates study in four caves from two climatically differen...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | http://www.biogeosciences.net/13/483/2016/bg-13-483-2016.pdf |
| Summary: | Fossil invertebrates from cave sediments have been recently described as a
potential new proxy for paleoenvironment and used in cross-correlations with
alternate proxy records from cave deposits. Here we present the results of a
fossil invertebrates study in four caves from two climatically different
regions of the Romanian Carpathians, to complement paleoenvironmental data
previously reported. Oribatid mites and ostracods are the most common
invertebrates in the studied cave sediments. Some of the identified taxa are
new to science, and most of them are indicative for either warm and/or cold stages
or dry and/or wetter oscillations. In two caves the fossil invertebrates records
indicate rapid climate oscillations during times known for a relatively
stable climate. By corroborating the fossil invertebrates' record with the
information given by magnetic properties and sediment structures,
complementary data on past vegetation, temperatures and hydraulic regimes
could be gathered. This paper analyzes the potential of fossil invertebrate
records as a paleoenvironmental proxy, potential problems and pitfalls. |
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| ISSN: | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |