Phytoplankton from the upper Emsian and Eifelian of the Rhineland, Germany — A preliminary report

Abstract

The predominantly marine Lower and Middle Devonian of the Rhineland is relatively poor in phytoplankton. Moreover, the composition of the assemblages found is rather undiversified. However, the assemblages gain some interest because of their relation to the Emsian-Eifelian type-region and their close association with diversified spore floras. The composition and stratigraphic distribution of the assemblages are briefly described. Comparisons are made with more prolific phytoplankton assemblages from the Daleje shales of Bohemia (Upper Emsian) and the Nehden shales of the Eifel region (Upper Devonian). Paleoecological considerations seem to indicate that in the Devonian of Central Europe the neritic facies is connected with poor phytoplankton assemblages, the pelagic facies more often with rich and diversified assemblages.