Geology 105 - Paleontology
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Lab #2: Protists

At the end of this lab, you should be able to:

1. Identify a fossil as a benthic foram, planktonic foram, fusilinid, radiolarian or diatom
2. Know the skeletal structure and material of each of these organisms.
3. Know the ecological characteristics of each of these organisms.
4. Know the geologic range of each of these groups.
   

The structure of this lab is a little different from the ones we have already done. Instead of stations at the lab desks, al the fossils are on the back and side counters. Use the petrographic microscopes there to look at the radiolarians, the diatoms, and the sections through the forams (any glass slide). Use the dissecting scope at your desk to examine the forams (any cardboard slide and bulk samples). As you finish with one question, return your slide or specimen to the counter and take another.

I. Foraminifera hard part morphology. Know these terms: test, aperature, suture, agglutinated

Choose forams to look at from the selection of slides on the brown tray. Find an example of each of the test morphologies (i.e, uniserial, biserial, etc.) in Figure 9.4. Choose three forams and sketch them.

II. Large Forams

A few families of forams build rather large tests. SOme modern forams are quite large (see the slides), but some ancient forams are truly spectacular The large forams were (and are) all benthic. Look at each of these under the microscope. Look carefull for the chambers. Use the petrographic scope to examine the glass slides.

Cenozoic large forms: #853, #503, #852, and # 1545, Nummilites

Fusilinids: Fusilinilids were an importnat and abundant group in the late Paleozoic. Many are important biostratigraphic index fossils. #25, 782, 31, 1536-37.

III. Foram ecology

Forams are both planktonic and benthic. Planktonic forams are typically smaller, less robust, often with spherical or globular tests. Benthis forams are usually larger and more robust, often with flattened coiled tests or elongate tests, and may be agglutinated. Choose a selection of forams form the brown tray and try to determine which are planktonic and which are benthic.

IV. Identifying forams

Take a sample of the Taylor marl (on slides labelled #22). Using the handout provided, identify as many forams as you can by genus.

V. Radiolarians

We have pretty limited collection of radiolarians. Look at the glass display slide of radiolarians. Then use fig. 9.9 & 9.10 to identify the radiolarians on the cardboard slides as spumellarians or nassellarians.

VI. Diatoms

Look through the diatom slides to find examples of both centric (round) and pennate (elongate) diatoms. Why is there such a difference in the sizes of the specimens of the same species of diatom on these slides? Remember, diatoms don't continually add to their skeletons as forams do. The little ones aren't going to "grow up" to be big ones. So why are there different sizes?

VII. Other microfossils

When you prepare sedimentary rocks to obtain forams, you often get other tiny fossils as well. You may find ostracods, tiny molluscs, or echinoid plates and spines. These slides show examples of those.

VIII. Microfossil-rich sands

Choose three of these sands to examine. In each, identify as many microfossils as you can. Here are soem of the things you might see:

Here are the samples to choose from: