Microfossil Biomonitors of Reclamation Success

English Abstract:

Microfossils record various types of anthropogenic impact, from siltation and eutrophication associated with indigenous people to the increase in toxic chemicals associated with urbanization and industrialization. In addition to documenting anthropogenic impact, microfossils can be used to assess the success of mitigation and reclamation studies. The fossil remains of organic-walled algae (e.g., dinoflagellate cysts and desmids) record much more hospitable conditions in a Sustainable Lake South (Pond 15 in the Suncor Experimental Wetlands) than in the adjacent Sustainable Lake North (Pond 14). Similarly, the testate amoeba (thecamoebian) fauna in Pond 15 is more diverse, whereas Pond 14 contains almost exclusively hardy centropyxid taxa. This is attributed to the amendment of Pond 15 by nutrients, notably phosphorus, which appears to have speeded up the reclamation process. Microfossils are thus useful biomonitors of reclamation success, and based on the more diverse algal and protozoan communities in the pond that received phosphorous over a several year period, this appears to be a useful reclamation strategy.