Review paper
Use of algae in paleolimnology – a review
Hübener, Thomas

Perspectives in Phycology Vol. 5 No. 1 (2018), p. 45 - 59
published: Jun 1, 2018
manuscript accepted: Apr 17, 2018
manuscript revision received: Feb 5, 2018
manuscript revision requested: Sep 14, 2017
manuscript received: Jul 20, 2017
ArtNo. ESP271000501003, Price: 24.80 €
Abstract
Abstract Algae – especially highly diverse groups with huge shares of stenoecious species – are versatile indicators for different parameters of water quality. Containing determinable, persisting structures further qualifies some algae groups to be used in paleolimnological analyses. The most commonly used algae group in paleolimnology are diatoms – a multitude of diatom training sets exists for various variables of water quality, notably pH, total phosphorous and salinity. This mini-review discusses advances in and demands on such training sets. Furthermore, a brief outline of past paleolimnological research is giving. Recent research trends are discussed, e.g. analyzing complex interactions of several variables – especially a possible climatic effect on pH or trophy - and the application of new molecular methods (NGS, metabarcoding) for bioindication.
Keywords
paleolimnology • bioindication • algae • diatoms • training sets • TP • pH • secondary gradients