Algae in paleolimnological studies in Argentina

Abstract

Paleolimnology is a poorly developed discipline in Argentina. Early research on aquatic nonmarine paleoenvironments focused on geological topics, and usually included appendices with lists of algae or algal remains recovered from the sediments. Only a few studies have exploited the increased potential that algae can provide according to their ecological requirements, humidity, water level, pH and nutrients in the environments in which they proliferated. Interdisciplinary studies, including the analysis of algal proxies, have begun only in recent decades. From its origins in the late nineteenth century until today, Paleolimnology in Argentina can be divided into six periods, from the Paleozoic to the most recent Holocene. This chapter presents a state of knowledge of Paleolimnology in Argentina, with a brief mention of conventional methodologies for the study of algae, separating the siliceous fossils from the organic and pigments.