Abstract Here we introduce the volume Applications of Non-Pollen Palynomorphs: from Palaeoenvironmental Reconstructions to Biostratigraphy . The study of non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) has a long and rich history that is interwoven with that of pollen-based studies. NPPs are among the oldest fossils on record and are instrumental in determining the origin and evolution of life, as well as studying origination and extinction events prior to the origin of pollen-producing angiosperms. This new volume on NPPs provides an up-to-date and seminal overview of the subject, linking deep-time and Quaternary study of the subject for the first time.

Abstract Non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) are ‘extra’ microfossils often found in palynology slides. These include remains of organisms within the size range of pollen grains ( c. 10–250 µm), resistant to laboratory treatments used for the preparation of palynological samples. NPPs are a large and taxonomically heterogeneous group of remains of organisms living in diverse environments. Taxonomically, they belong to a wide variety of groups such as cyanobacteria, algae, vascular plants, invertebrates and fungi. The aim of this chapter is to provide a general overview of NPP groups observed in palynology slides. It includes more than 40 of the most common groups starting with acritarcha, cyanobacteria and algae, moving through transitional groups to animals and fungi and finishing with human-made objects such as textile fibres. Although far from complete, it provides an updated overview of taxonomical diversity of NPPs and their indicator values. Further works on NPP identifications are of great importance to improve our current knowledge. Since NPPs occur in all kinds of sediments, their analysis is a powerful tool for reconstructing environmental changes over time. Further detailed studies of specific NPP groups and their indicator values will open the way for new fields of study.

Abstract Nine non-pollen palynomorph (NPP) groups occur in Quaternary marine and brackish-water sediments; these groups represent various planktonic or micro- to macrobenthic organisms. Some extant NPP were previously classified as fossil Acritarcha, Chitinozoa or scolecodonts. We refer to reviews of these fossils and their applications for Paleozoic–Mesozoic biostratigraphy and palaeoecology but focus on extant marine NPP that can be studied by laboratory culture, genetics or micro-geochemical methods. Marine NPP include resting cysts of planktonic dinoflagellates and prasinophytes, tintinnids and other cilates, copepod eggs and skeletal remains, and various microzoobenthos: microforaminiferal organic linings, ostracod mandibles and carapace linings, various worm egg capsules and mouthparts. New micro-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy spectra suggest the probable affinities of the tintinnid cyst type P and Beringiella . Our applications in marine biodiversity and provincialism studies emphasize under-studied polar regions and neglected ice-algae nano-plankton and compare climate-based NPP distributions to Ocean Biogeographic Information System realms. Trophic relationships are outlined using sediment-trap studies. Seasonal to annual-scale investigations of palaeoproduction provide new perspectives on ocean carbon budgets during times of rapid climate change and atmospheric carbon increase. More taxonomic and source-linkage studies of non-dinocyst marine NPP are needed but we outline potentials for studies of hemispheric or global-scale shifts in marine food webs as driven by ocean warming.

Previous palynological studies of the Caspian–Black Sea–Mediterranean corridor primarily focused on pollen and spores for paleoecological and chronostratigraphic studies. Until recently, there has been less emphasis on the nonpollen palynomorphs, such as dinoflagellate cysts, algal and fungal spores, and animal remains. New studies of nonpollen palynomorphs in land-locked seas, estuaries, and lakes reported here indicate that they are important markers of salinity, nutrient loading, and human activity, including ballast discharge, farming, and soil erosion. We describe the nonoxidative laboratory processing methods necessary to extract nonpollen palynomorphs from marine- and brackish-water sediment samples. We list 48 nonpollen palynomorphs taxa from 37 surface sediments (including the past millennium) for cores along the salinity gradient from <16‰ off the Danube Delta to >39‰ in the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Red Seas, for two Crimean saline lakes, the Caspian and Aral Seas, and for lakes in Iran and Kazakhstan. The main nonpollen palynomorphs taxa are illustrated and listed systematically to provide a baseline for future collaborative studies among Black Sea corridor palynologists. We outline the biological affinities of some nonpollen palynomorphs and discuss the initial results of the study in terms of what nonpollen palynomorphs may reveal about the history of the salinity in the Black Sea corridor and the impact of humans on soil erosion, plankton production, and harmful algal blooms.