Sprecher
Beschreibung
Taxonomic databases and digital identification tools have become essential resources in palaeobotany. In wood anatomy, the InsideWood database gathers thousands of standardized descriptions and photographs with an identification key. Similarly, the Plant Fossil Names Registry provides comprehensive information on fossil plant taxa, including nomenclature, type specimens, stratigraphic and geographic distributions, and fossil category (e.g. wood, leaf, and fruit). In modern palynology, the Palynological Database (PalDat) offers detailed species-level descriptions, illustrations, and bibliographic references.
In contrast, sporomorph (pollen and spores) palaeopalynology still lacks comprehensive digital identification tools. Existing resources are generally limited to catalogues and do not integrate species-level diagnoses, descriptions, botanical affinities, stratigraphic ranges, and illustrations within an interactive identification framework comparable to InsideWood. The development of such a tool would considerably improve the efficiency and reproducibility of taxonomic identification, particularly for early-career palaeopalynologists (e.g. Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students).
Here, we present a new identification key for Paleogene pollen and spores from Eurasia, with an initial focus on Türkiye. The key is hosted on the Xper3 platform. This first version includes 176 Turkish taxa (illustrated with light microscopy microphotographs) and 73 descriptors. Additionally, we provide a new set of anatomic diagrams for pollen and spores, which will be openly accessible. Our long-term goal is to progressively expand the database to achieve broader taxonomic coverage and to include additional regions and geological periods.