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Foraminifera are single-celled marine organisms, usually less than a millimeter in size, and their fossil records extend back in geological time some 500 million years. Some foraminifera have grown to over 10 centimeters; these are informally called "larger benthic Foraminifera" (LBF). LBF are of outstanding value in field and in laboratory experiments. They can serve as geochemical proxies and can be used to learn about biology, biomineralization process, and more. Their study finds wide-ranging geological applications, including the carbonate platforms' past environmental changes and stratigraphy. There are many books on micropaleontology, fewer on Foraminifera and practically none on LBF. The ones that do exist are generally too specialized for micropaleontology and carbonate sedimentology doctoral students to utilize. This volume aims to fill this gap by providing readers with an understanding of the morphology and distribution of LBF in space (environment) and time (evolution). In addition, the isotope and trace metal proxies in LBF are discussed for paleoclimate reconstruction. This volume will benefit researchers and professionals in micropaleontology, hydrocarbon exploration, carbonate sedimentology, and paleoclimate.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Biology and Functional Morphology.- Chapter 3: Morphology of Selected Families.- Chapter 4: Morphometrics.- Chapter 5: Ecology and Paleoecology.- Chapter 6: Geochemical Proxies.- Chapter 7: Evolution and Extinction.- Chapter 8: Biostratigraphy.
About the author
Pratul Kumar Saraswati taught Micropaleontology at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay for more than thirty years. He has published widely on Paleogene biostratigraphy and geochemical proxies of paleoclimate in larger benthic Foraminifera. He has also written two books entitled "Micropaleontology-Principles and Applications" and "Foraminiferal Micropaleontology for Understanding Earth's History."
