Determining the absolute abundance of dinoflagellate cysts in recent marine sediments : the Lycopdium marker-grain method put to the test

Mertens, Kenneth Neil; Verhoeven, Koen; Verleye, Thomas; Louwye, Stephen; Amorim, Ana; Ribeiro, Sofia; Deaf, Amr S.; Harding, Ian C.; De Schepper, Stijn; Kodrans-Nsiah, Monika; De Vernal, Anne; Henry, Maryse; Radi, Taoufik; Dybkjaer, Karen; Poulsen, Niels E.; Feist-Burkhardt, Susanne; Chitolie, Jonah; Gonzalez, Arango; Heilmann-Clausen, Claus; Londeix, Laurent; Turon, Jean-Louis; Marret, Fabienne; Mattiessen, Jens; Mccarthy, Francine M.G.; Prasad, Vandana; Pospelova, Vera; Kyffin Hughes, Jane E.; Riding, James B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5529-8989; Rochon, Andre; Sangiorgi, Francesca; Welters, Natasha; Sinclair, Natalie; Thun, Christian; Soliman, Ali; Van Nieuwenhove, Nicolas; Vink, Annemiek; Young, Martin. 2009 Determining the absolute abundance of dinoflagellate cysts in recent marine sediments : the Lycopdium marker-grain method put to the test. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 157 (3-4). 238-252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2009.05.004

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Abstract/Summary

Absolute abundances (concentrations) of dinoflagellate cysts are often determined through the addition of Lycopodium clavatum marker-grains as a spike to a sample before palynological processing. An inter-laboratory calibration exercise was set up in order to test the comparability of results obtained in different laboratories, each using its own preparation method. Each of the 23 laboratories received the same amount of homogenized splits of four Quaternary sediment samples. The samples originate from different localities and consisted of a variety of lithologies. Dinoflagellate cysts were extracted and counted, and relative and absolute abundances were calculated. The relative abundances proved to be fairly reproducible, notwithstanding a need for taxonomic calibration. By contrast, excessive loss of Lycopodium spores during sample preparation resulted in non-reproducibility of absolute abundances. Use of oxidation, KOH, warm acids, acetolysis, mesh sizes larger than 15 µm and long ultrasonication (> 1 min) must be avoided to determine reproducible absolute abundances. The results of this work therefore indicate that the dinoflagellate cyst worker should make a choice between using the proposed standard method which circumvents critical steps, adding Lycopodium tablets at the end of the preparation and using an alternative method.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2009.05.004
Programmes:	BGS Programmes 2009 > Marine Geoscience
ISSN:	0034-6667
Date made live:	02 Jul 2010 13:44 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/10089

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2009.05.004

Programmes:

BGS Programmes 2009 > Marine Geoscience

ISSN:

0034-6667

Date made live:

02 Jul 2010 13:44 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/10089