The body
macrofossil assemblages from Arraitza include numerous fossils of the sponges Laocoetis samueli, cf.
Plant
macrofossil and pollen analysis shows that they were formed during the Merkine (Eemian) interglacial climatic optimum when palaeoflora became most thermophilic.
For
macrofossil analyses (sample volume 70 [cm.sup.3]) the residues on a sieve of mesh aperture 0.25 mm were dispersed in water, and macroscopic remains were picked and counted under stereomicroscope.
For example, changes in the
macrofossil record within a peat core can be used to reconstruct changes in vegetation, which can be used to infer wetter and drier periods over the last 4000 years (Barber et al.
Biostratigraphical studies, based on the
macrofossil faunas of the sedimentary strata, began around the turn of the century (e.g.
The landscape today is almost totally treeless, although from
macrofossil and pollen profile data it is possible to date the emergence of a Betula- (birch) dominated community from around 10,400 B.P.
- Unlike the pollen and the vascular-plant and bryophyte
macrofossil records, the insect assemblages collectively associated with these zones reflect little change in the nature of local environments through the Holocene.
Recent radiocarbon analyses and plant
macrofossil data from Graham Island in northern QCI provide additional support for a refugium.
Because these populations are sensitive not only to the short-term impacts of commercial and recreational fishing, but also to longer-term impacts of climatic fluctuations and other (non-fishing) human activities, some researchers have turned to
macrofossil and biochemical markers in lake sediment cores as a means of estimating population sizes prior to development of a historic record (Gregory-Eaves et al., 2009).
Macrofossil, pollen, and zoological analyses of latrines have been conducted e.g.