1998 Volume 107 Issue 2 Pages 258-273
To analyze oceanic paleoenvironmental histories, paleoceanography has used various biological proxies such as characteristic species, molecular bio-markers, chemical components and others. Much of paleoceanographic information originates from skeletal remains and/or chemical compounds of marine organisms. Accordingly, we are always faced with the biological problem of so-called “vital effects”. Experimental paleontology is a research method to determine relationships between organisms and their biotic and / or abiotic environments through well-controlled culture experiments. This is one of the best ways to shed light into the “vital effect” black box.
In this article, I review previous studies which have tried to solve paleontological problems through culture experiments using foraminifera. There are three different scales of experimental methods. First is a culture in a petri dish. This method is advantageous to observe the relation between individuals and environmental factors. Second is micro-and mesocosm experiments which tried to reconstruct a part of the marine ecosystem in laboratory. With this method one can examine interactions between organisms and biotic and/or abiotic factors. Third is in situ experiment in the sea using submersibles or benthic landers. These methods play the role of finding clues about, or proving the nature of, currentbiological proxies of paleoceanography. I strongly invite young scientists to work with experimental cultures for the better understanding biological proxies in paleoceanography. Several suggestions for future studies are also proposed in the text.
