The (palaeo) environmental significance of modern calcareous dinoflagellate cysts: a review

Increased interest in the environmental applicability of calcareous dinoflagellate cysts for palaeo-environmental studies arose in the last two decades, when it was discovered that they constitute a widespread and abundant group within the calcareous phytoplankton. As primary producers they are directly influenced by environmental Parameters of the surrounding water masses, and therefore extremely suitable for detailed palaeo-environmental and -oceanographical reconstructions. During the last years, detailed investigations on their distribution in surface sediments of the South Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea were carried out, in order to reveal which environmental parameters influence their distribution. This, in turn, formed the base for palaeo-environmental and -oceanographical reconstructions. The compilation of the available data on calcareous dinoflagellate ecology, morphology, taxonomy and palaeo-environmental application presented here demonstrates their ample application potential as palaeo-environmental tools.