Inferring the age and environmental characteristics of fossil sites using citizen science.
Not all fossil sites preserve microfossils that can be extracted using acid digestion, which may leave knowledge gaps regarding a site's age or environmental characteristics. Here we report on a citizen science approach that was developed to identify microfossils in situ on the surface of sedim...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284388 |
| _version_ | 1797842455668719616 |
|---|---|
| author | Tara Djokic Michael Frese Adam Woods Mary Dettmann Paul Flemons Frank Brink Matthew R McCurry |
| author_facet | Tara Djokic Michael Frese Adam Woods Mary Dettmann Paul Flemons Frank Brink Matthew R McCurry |
| author_sort | Tara Djokic |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Not all fossil sites preserve microfossils that can be extracted using acid digestion, which may leave knowledge gaps regarding a site's age or environmental characteristics. Here we report on a citizen science approach that was developed to identify microfossils in situ on the surface of sedimentary rocks. Samples were collected from McGraths Flat, a recently discovered Miocene rainforest lake deposit located in central New South Wales, Australia. Composed entirely of iron-oxyhydroxide, McGraths Flat rocks cannot be processed using typical microfossil extraction protocols e.g., acid digestion. Instead, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to automatically acquire 25,200 high-resolution images from the surface of three McGraths Flat samples, covering a total area of 1.85 cm2. The images were published on the citizen science portal DigiVol, through which 271 citizen scientists helped to identify 300 pollen and spores. The microfossil information gained in this study is biostratigraphically relevant and can be used to constrain the environmental characteristics of McGraths Flat. Our findings suggest that automated image acquisition coupled with an evaluation by citizen scientists is an effective method of determining the age and environmental characteristics of fossiliferous rocks that cannot be investigated using traditional methods such as acid digestion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:48:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9950f13cf5d14338abf9390678f4a24b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:48:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-9950f13cf5d14338abf9390678f4a24b2023-04-22T05:31:53ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01184e028438810.1371/journal.pone.0284388Inferring the age and environmental characteristics of fossil sites using citizen science.Tara DjokicMichael FreseAdam WoodsMary DettmannPaul FlemonsFrank BrinkMatthew R McCurryNot all fossil sites preserve microfossils that can be extracted using acid digestion, which may leave knowledge gaps regarding a site's age or environmental characteristics. Here we report on a citizen science approach that was developed to identify microfossils in situ on the surface of sedimentary rocks. Samples were collected from McGraths Flat, a recently discovered Miocene rainforest lake deposit located in central New South Wales, Australia. Composed entirely of iron-oxyhydroxide, McGraths Flat rocks cannot be processed using typical microfossil extraction protocols e.g., acid digestion. Instead, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to automatically acquire 25,200 high-resolution images from the surface of three McGraths Flat samples, covering a total area of 1.85 cm2. The images were published on the citizen science portal DigiVol, through which 271 citizen scientists helped to identify 300 pollen and spores. The microfossil information gained in this study is biostratigraphically relevant and can be used to constrain the environmental characteristics of McGraths Flat. Our findings suggest that automated image acquisition coupled with an evaluation by citizen scientists is an effective method of determining the age and environmental characteristics of fossiliferous rocks that cannot be investigated using traditional methods such as acid digestion.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284388 |
| spellingShingle | Tara Djokic Michael Frese Adam Woods Mary Dettmann Paul Flemons Frank Brink Matthew R McCurry Inferring the age and environmental characteristics of fossil sites using citizen science. PLoS ONE |
| title | Inferring the age and environmental characteristics of fossil sites using citizen science. |
| title_full | Inferring the age and environmental characteristics of fossil sites using citizen science. |
| title_fullStr | Inferring the age and environmental characteristics of fossil sites using citizen science. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inferring the age and environmental characteristics of fossil sites using citizen science. |
| title_short | Inferring the age and environmental characteristics of fossil sites using citizen science. |
| title_sort | inferring the age and environmental characteristics of fossil sites using citizen science |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284388 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT taradjokic inferringtheageandenvironmentalcharacteristicsoffossilsitesusingcitizenscience AT michaelfrese inferringtheageandenvironmentalcharacteristicsoffossilsitesusingcitizenscience AT adamwoods inferringtheageandenvironmentalcharacteristicsoffossilsitesusingcitizenscience AT marydettmann inferringtheageandenvironmentalcharacteristicsoffossilsitesusingcitizenscience AT paulflemons inferringtheageandenvironmentalcharacteristicsoffossilsitesusingcitizenscience AT frankbrink inferringtheageandenvironmentalcharacteristicsoffossilsitesusingcitizenscience AT matthewrmccurry inferringtheageandenvironmentalcharacteristicsoffossilsitesusingcitizenscience |