Fossil grass cuticles from lacustrine sediments: a review of methods applicable to the analysis of tropical African lake cores

Abstract

The need for alternatives to fossil pollen for the reconstruction of vegetation dominated by grasses has prompted the use of grass cuticles, which lack a described method of analysis. Methods used to analyse sediments for palaeoecological materials allied to grass cuticles, including microscopic charcoal, phytoliths and plant cuticles, are reviewed. A simple set of methods and protocols for extracting, identifying and quantifying fossil grass cuticles are presented.