Bacterial degradation of bisaccate pollen grains from the Mannville Group (Cretaceous), Alberta, Canada and possible implications for heavy oil production

摘要

The study of palynomorph assemblages is often hindered by the poor preservation of specific types of grains. Particularly subject to degradation are bisaccate pollen grains with many specimens showing damage, especially on the sacs. To test if the damage could be caused by bacterial activity, modern pollen grains were added to anaerobic bacteria isolated from produced bitumens and waters of the Cretaceous Mannville Group of central Alberta. It was found that these bacteria damaged the pollen grains, especially the sacs, and produced structures similar to those found on fossil grains recovered from the Clearwater Formation at Cold Lake, Alberta. Fossil paly-nomorphs therefore appear to have the potential to be used to monitor the activity of bacteria within oil fields.