SASQUA -
Palynology
What is Palynology?Palynology is the study of pollen grains or other "palynomorphs" (= resistant microscopic structures derived from various organisms), e.g., phytoliths (= silica bodies from plant leaf cuticles). Palynomorphs regularly stay preserved in sediments as microfossils. These microfossils have been of great importance in palaeobotanical reconstruction of Quaternary and older environments worldwide, by indicating the past vegetation and climatic conditions during different times like the Late Pleistocene, Holocene etc. For general definitions in connection with palynology, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palynology
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/palynology/ppalydef.html
Borehole cores in lake or swamp sediments provide sample sequences for palynology. However, swamps and lakes are scarce in arid areas. Alternative sources for pollen include cave deposits. In Southern Africa, fossil dung of hyenas, hyraxes, dassie-rats and porcupines proved to be useful. Generally, we date pollen-bearing sediments by radiocarbon dating. Pollen extraction from sediments is by means of chemical digestion of minerals and organics and physical separation (floatation) of chemically resistant organics from minerals.
Different plant communities provide distinctive pollen assemblages. Reference pollen types from modern plant species make comparisons between modern and past conditions possible. The African Pollen Database (APD: http://medias.obs-mip.fr/apd/) compiles modern and fossil pollen data for the whole of Africa with the aim of modelling environmental change on the continent in terms of global change processes.
Palynology Laboratories in Southern Africa
University of the Free State (Department of Plant Sciences)
Prof Louis Scott
http://www.uovs.ac.za/faculties/staff.php
The activities at the University of the Free State follow on the pioneering work of Prof. E M van Zinderen Bakker and Joey Coetzee who since the early 1950's were responsible for the first detailed descriptions of Southern African pollen grains and spores. The Foundation for Research Development helped to fund the pollen research at the University. We have international collaboration and have published extensively on fossil pollen studies from Cretaceous, Tertiary and Quaternary deposits in southern and East Africa and the sub-Antarctic island Marion.
Numerous publications on Southern African Quaternary palynology exist and the following are some of the pioneering papers from the University of the Free State:
Van Zinderen Bakker, E. M. 1957. A pollen analytical investigation of the Florisbad deposits (South Africa), In: Clarke J.D. (ed) Proceedings of the Third-Pan-African Congress on Prehistory, Livingstone, 1955, 56-67. London: Chatto and Windus
Coetzee, J. A. 1967. Pollen analytical studies in east and southern Africa. Palaeoecology of Africa 3, 1-146.
Scott, L. 1982. A Late Quaternary pollen record from the Transvaal bushveld, South Africa. Quaternary Research 17, 339-370.
Prof. E.M. van Zinderen Bakker and Dr. J.A. Coetzee, ca. 1985 (Photo L. Scott)
The laboratory possesses a pollen reference collection of southern and east African plants consisting of more than 10000 microscope slides.
Current studies
Quaternary lake and spring sediments such as those in the Tswaing Crater in Gauteng, Lake Sibaya in Kwazulu Natal and Wonderkrater in the Northern Province.
Fossil faecal deposits of various animals in Southern Africa, like hyena dung and especially hyrax dung, e.g. in the Cederberg, Western Cape and in the Namib Desert.
Hominid deposits of Plio/Pleistocene age and younger from Laetoli, Sterkfontein, Florisbad, etc.
Cainozoic deposits from onshore and offshore areas of Southern Africa.
Phytolith studies by Ph.D student from the National Museum, Bloemfontein, Lloyd Rossouw
Pollen types in the UFS collection
Podocarpus (yellow-wood )
Dinteracanthus (Acanthaceae)
Proteaceae
Tertiary Palm
Graciela Gil Romera (Madrid) and Eugene Marais (Windhoek) collecting fossil hyrax dung in Namibia for pollen studies.
Back