What is Micropaleontology?
[[File:Marine-microfossils hg.jpg |thumb|280px|Marine microfossils: ([[diatom]], [[ostracod]], [[radiolaria|radiolarian]], [[sponge]] spicule, [[radiolaria|radiolarian]], [[plankton]]ic [[foraminifera|foraminiferan]] (two), [[coccolith]])]] '''Micropaleontology''' (also sometimes spelled as '''micropalaeontology''') is the branch of [[paleontology]] that studies '''microfossils'''. Microfossils are [[fossils]] generally not larger than four millimeters, and commonly smaller than one millimeter. A [[microscope]] is used to study them. Every [[Kingdom (biology)|kingdom]] of [[organism]]s is represented in the microfossil record. Microfossils can provide important information about the ecology in the past. People who study micropaleontology are called '''micropaleontologists'''. [[Taxonomy]] and [[statistics]] are important parts of micropaleontology. Microfossils are most common in [[sediment]] that forms beneath water, particularly [[ocean]] water or [[lake]] water. Very old microfossils may be found in [[rock (geology)|rock]]. Special techniques are used to separate microfossils from rock. For example, the shells of [[diatom]]s and some other [[organism]]s are made of silica; other materials in the rock can sometimes be removed with [[acid]], leaving just the silica shells. Micropaleontology can be divided into four areas of study. The different areas of study use different techniques to separate the microfossils. This is because the microfossils are made of different [[mineral]]s: * [[Silicon dioxide]], for example in the shells of [[diatom]]s, * [[Chalk]], for example in the shells of [[coccolith]]s and [[foraminifera]], * [[Phosphate]], for example in bones of [[vertebrate]]s, * [[Organic compound]]s, for example in [[pollen]] and [[spore]]s. The area of study for pollen and spores, including fossils, is called [[palynology]]. [[File:Alnus speciipites fossil pollen grain.jpg |thumb|left|A [[light microscope]] image of a fossil pollen grain. Pollen grains are used to identify which plants lived in t