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.

ABSTRACT This chapter will address the innovative and bold exploration approach that has led the French company Total and its Argentinean partner Tecpetrol to achieve what is one of the largest gas discoveries of the south Bolivian sub-Andean basin of the 2000–2010 decade. This discovery, named Incahuasi, is the result of multidisciplinary teamwork covering a period of 4 years from the initial geological concept definition to the drilling and testing of the discovery well Incahuasi-X1. The overall approach can be summarized as a combination of controlled risk decision making based on a regional geological knowledge and the development of new techniques such as the definition of dedicated biostratigraphy charts. This approach enabled the multidisciplinary team to manage most of the uncertainties attached to this specific foothills context and define a workflow that led to success. The successful testing of the Incahuasi-X1 exploration well in 2004 led to a multi-tcf discovery currently under development. Located more than 120 km (75 mi) north of the existing Devonian gas fields, it opened a new exploration domain. It also highlights the benefit of a multidisciplinary and innovative approach in challenging areas such as the fold belts from prospect generation to discovery in a time constraint domain.

The Hirnantian mass extinction is recognized as the first of the “big three” extinctions and, along with the end-Permian and end-Cretaceous events, is the result of an acceleration in biotic extinctions concomitant with a rise in originations. The Hirnantian mass extinction is characterized by high taxonomic impact and within-community extinctions. The Hirnantian mass extinction is also unusual in that (1) it is associated with glaciation, but there is little evidence elsewhere in the younger Phanerozoic that glaciations have been a cause of mass extinction, and (2) there is limited understanding of how glaciation could directly cause mass extinction, particularly in the marine realm. In this review, we argue that coordinated extinctions occurred at the onset and termination of glaciation and were due to climatically induced changes in relative sea level, ocean redox stratification, and sea-surface temperature gradients. These earth system changes resulted in a reduction in prospective niche space, both in the water column and on the seafloor, which in turn led to increased competition and selection pressures, resulting in extinctions where the carrying capacities of particular ecological niches were exceeded. The long-term ventilation of the oceans broke the link between glaciation and mass extinction.