Publishing House SB RAS:

Publishing House SB RAS:

Address of the Publishing House SB RAS:
Morskoy pr. 2, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia



Advanced Search

Contemporary Problems of Ecology

2017 year, number 4

Macro-Entomological Analysis: Methods, Opportunities and Examples of Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions of Quaternary in the Northern-Eastern Siberia

S. A. KUZMINA1,2
1Internationаl Ice Age Paleontology Consulting, Edmonton Alberta Ice Age Museum, Canada
2Ice Age Museum, Moscow, All-Russian Exhibition Centre, hall 71
Keywords: насекомые, жесткокрылые, плейстоцен, голоцен, реконструкции климата и природной обстановки, insects, Coleoptera, Pleistocene, Holocene, climate and environment reconstructions

Abstract

The macro-entomological method deals mostly with terrestrial species of insects that have hard exoskeleton (Coleoptera, some Hymenoptera and Homoptera, and sometimes other Orders). The method shows great potential in paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstructions of Quaternary in the world and in Siberia in particular. However the review of scientific publications shows that the fossil insects from Siberia are studied unevenly in different regions. The most studied sites are located in the north and in the middle parts of Western Siberia and in the northern-east of Eastern Siberia. The rest of Siberia is still almost unstudied. The main purpose of this paper is to present the macro-entomological method (sampling, laboratory treatment, applications) to a wide community of researches. In many cases insects enable more accurate paleoreconstructions than traditional paleobotanical methods. The macro-entomological method is especially effective in recognition of differences in superficially monotonous grassland communities which are typical for cold periods of Pleistocene.