Foraminifera are single-celled marine organisms, usually less than a millimetre in size, and their fossil records extend back in geological time some 500 million years. Some foraminifera have grown to over 10 centimetres; these are informally called "larger benthic Foraminifera" (LBF). LBF can serve as geochemical proxies and can be used to learn about biology, biomineralisation processes, and more. Their study finds wide-ranging geological applications, including the carbonate platforms' past environmental changes and stratigraphy. This volume aims to provide readers with an understanding of the morphology and distribution of LBF in space (environment) and time (evolution). In addition, the isotope and trace metal proxies in LBF are discussed for paleoclimate reconstruction. This volume will benefit researchers and professionals in micropalaeontology, hydrocarbon exploration, carbonate sedimentology, and palaeoclimate.
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Biology and Functional Morphology
Chapter 3. Morphology of Selected Families
Chapter 4. Morphometrics
Chapter 5. Ecology and Paleoecology
Chapter 6. Geochemical Proxies
Chapter 7. Evolution and Extinction
Chapter 8. Biostratigraphy
Pratul Kumar Saraswati taught Micropalaeontology at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay for more than thirty years. He has published widely on Paleogene biostratigraphy and geochemical proxies of palaeoclimate in larger benthic Foraminifera. He has also written two books entitled Micropaleontology: Principles and Applications and Foraminiferal Micropaleontology for Understanding Earth's History.