Grass cuticles: a new paleoecological tool for East African lake sediments

Abstract

Reconstruction of past vegetation in grassy environments of tropical Africa is hindered by the indistinguishability of grass pollen grains. For these regions, it is necessary to use other fossil material (e.g. grass leaf fragments) to obtain additional paleoecological data. Since many core samples from East African lakes are rich in cuticular fragments of grasses, the identification of these fragments can provide paleobotanical information to complement pollen studies. Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are used to identify fossil cuticles to the level of subfamily, tribe, or genus. This new technique provides a much-needed source of information for reconstructing the past vegetation and past climate of regions where grasses are important elements in the fossil records.