Abstract
The Mallomonadaceae (Chrysophyceae), a group of flagellated algae commonly found in freshwater systems, are characterized by an armour of overlapping siliceous scales that are taxonomically diagnostic1. Mallomonadacean scales are usually abundant and well preserved in lake sediments2. Previous palaeolimnological studies have used the stratigraphie distribution of mallomonadacean assemblages to document patterns of lake eutrophication2–5. Our data demonstrate that the distribution of certain mallomonadacean taxa is also closely related to lakewater pH, that stratigraphic analyses of fossil scales can be used to indicate past changes in lake acidity, and that such stratigraphic studies provide important insights concerning the responses of sensitive lake systems to acid deposition.
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Smol, J., Charles, D. & Whitehead, D. Mallomonadacean microfossils provide evidence of recent lake acidification. Nature 307, 628–630 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/307628a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/307628a0
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