Description

This handbook is a practical guide to the identification and interpretation of aquatic plant remains recovered from sediments. These remains, or macrofossils, can be seeds or fruits or other plant organs such as leaves or stems. The main body of the handbook is made up of a series of fact sheets for each aquatic plant taxon and its macrofossil type(s) known for northern Europe. Many aquatic species have distributions beyond Europe, so the handbook has a world-wide application. Each taxon is illustrated by about 3 photographs of seeds, fruits, and sometimes vegetative parts, together with notes on life form and ecology, present distribution (with a link to a distribution map), and late-Quaternary history if known. In addition to the descriptions, the handbook provides introductory chapters about aquatic ecosystems, palaeolimnology, and the nature and importance of plant macrofossil analysis. These will inform readers about the opportunities and limitations of plant macrofossil identification for research in palaeoecology, archaeology, and freshwater biology.