Dinoflagellate cyst and pollen assemblages as tracers for marine productivity and river input in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract H/A ratio) and (ii) the ratio between non-bisaccate pollen and bisaccates (P/B) as well as (iii) the ratio between pollen (excluding bisaccates) and dinocysts (P/D), which are both tracers for river input and distance to the coast. H/A values further offshore. Individual dinocyst taxa also seem to inhabit specific niches along an onshore–offshore transect, linked to nutrient availability and proximity to the turbid river plume. The highest pollen concentrations are found close to the Mississippi river mouth and mostly represent a mixture of local coastal and upstream vegetation, whereas bisaccate pollen was most abundant further offshore of the Mississippi river. Multivariate redundancy analysis (RDA) performed on both pollen and dinocyst assemblages, a set of environmental parameters, and the three palynological ratios showed that net primary productivity was the most important variable influencing the dinocyst assemblages, likely as the result of nutrient input. Additionally, the RDA confirmed that the H/A ratio indeed seems to track primary productivity, while the P/B ratio results in a robust indicator for distance to the coast, and the P/D ratio better reflects river input. Together, our data confirm and further specify the suitability of these three palynological ratios in river-dominated coastal margins as proxies for (past) marine productivity and distance to the coast and river.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Dinoflagellate cyst and pollen assemblages as tracers for marine productivity and river input in the northern Gulf of Mexico ; volume:42 ; number:2 ; year:2023 ; pages:257-276 ; extent:20 ; Journal of micropalaeontology ; 42, Heft 2 (2023), 257-276 (gesamt 20)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Yedema, Yord W. ; Donders, Timme ; Peterse, Francien ; Sangiorgi, Francesca

Further information

• DOI: 10.5194/jm-42-257-2023
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2023113003225633856376
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:37 AM CEST