Microfossil Image Competition 2020 for 2021 TMS Calendar – Winners
Diatoms are tiny, silica-shelled phytoplankton. Not only are they an important part of marine ecosystems and useful tools for studying past climate – this Asteromphalus flabellatus proves that they are also amazingly beautiful!
The Micropalaeontological Society is delighted to announce the winner of the 2020 Micropalaeontology Image Competition!
The overall image winner was submitted by Isabel Dove from the University of Rhode Island – Graduate School of Oceanography, with a beautiful image of the diatom species Asteromphalus flabellatus. Not only does Isabel win the competition’s first prize of €200, but her image is also included on the front cover of our TMSoc2021 Calendar (note these are now sold out)!
On behalf of the Society we would like to congratulate Isabel on her success. Eleven additional winners were selected from the fantastic submissions, and are on display below! A wide variety of microfossils and imaging techniques have been championed this year, and we are already looking forward to next year’s competition.
Additional winners
Odysseas Archontikis and Jeremy Young, University of Oxford and University College London
Coccolith ultrastructure of Cyclicargolithus floridanus. Each coccolith is composed of two interconnecting cycles of the same crystal units, known as the R-units. Coccosphere specimen is c. 10μm in diameter and was collected from Early Miocene dark sapropelic sediments.
Hilary H. Birks, University of Bergen, Norway
Seed of mountain chickweed, Cerastium cerastoides. This creeping arctic-alpine plant bears large white chickweed flowers, characteristic of its family, Caryophyllaceae. It grows in seepage zones from melting snowbeds usually in open gravel or stones. The bean-shaped seeds, about 1.5 mm long, have an amazing pattern of humpy interlocking cells.Seed of sea campion, Silene maritima. The grey-leaved plants form loose mats and bear large white flowers typical of its family, Caryophyllaceae. It inhabits sea-cliffs, seaside walls, shingle banks, and drift-lines on seashores. Its bean-shaped seeds, about 2 mm long, have an amazing pattern of interlocking jig-saw cells
Damián Cárdenas, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Catching a glimpse of organic-walled microfossils
Dimitris Evangelinos,Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra – CSIC – Universidad de Granada
Diatom buried in calcareous nannofossils
Sahina Gazi, National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, India
Calcareous Nannofossils from the Indian Sector of Southern Ocean
Hannah Hartung, University of Cologne
Look, which surprise: a baby-like Radiolaria in the belly of its mother
Susan Richardson, Florida Atlantic University
Slice through shell of an ancient foraminiferan Rauserella erratica. Image shows the discoidal shape of the early shell which results from regular coiling in a single plane. In later stages, the shell becomes uncoiled as the axis of coiling shift. Shells collected from reef-associated habitats in Permian-aged rocks of North America.
Mariem Saavedra-Pellitero, University of Birmingham
During COVID-19 lockdown, I experienced a great personal tragedy. I drew these two coccospheres of Emiliania huxleyi (type A and type O) to cheer myself up. I hope this watercolor will bring a smile to others.
Parasitic foraminifera (Hyrokkin sarcophaga) on host organism (Acesta excavata, bivalve). The bored hole is visible as well as the defense reaction of the bivalve (callus formation to close the boring)
Yan Yu Ting, Earth Observatory of Singapore
A showcase of nature’s meticulous design skills – a handful of tropical benthic foraminifera imaged at various angles using microscope.
