Freshwater mollusks

DE FRANCESCO, CLAUDIO GERMÁN

Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science, 3rd Edition

Elsevier Inc.

Año: 2022; p. 1 - 13

Freshwater mollusks (Classes Gastropoda and Bivalvia) are commonly represented in continental Quaternary sediments. Their fossil record is characterized by lower diversity than in the marine record, with fossilization biased toward lowland and lake deposits. This chapter summarizes information on the different applications of Quaternary freshwater mollusks to the understanding of the fossil record, including paleolimnological reconstructions, stable isotope composition, sclerochronology, taphonomy, conservation paleobiology and archaeomalacology. An overview of the present status of research, advances in methodology, and a summary of the problems and possibilities of different research directions is presented and discussed. Some case studies are also presented that exemplify various applications in fossil reconstructions.