Macroentomology analysis: Methods, opportunities, and examples of reconstructions of paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions in the Quaternary of the northeastern Siberia

Abstract

Macroentomology analysis mainly studies terrestrial insect species with a hard exoskeleton (Coleoptera, some Hymenoptera, Homoptera, and sometimes other orders). The method has shown a great potential for environmental and climatic paleoreconstructions of the Quaternary worldwide. A large volume of the entomological material has also been collected in Siberia. However, an analysis of the published data demonstrates that the investigations of fossil insects are irregular in Siberia. The most studied sites are in Northwestern and Central Siberia and in northeastern Russia. The rest of Siberia is still almost unstudied. This work aims to present this method (sampling method, laboratory treatment, and examples of paleoreconstructions) to a wide group of researches. In some cases, the study of insects allows one to make more accurate reconstructions than traditional paleobotanical methods. The application of this method is effective for recognizing differences in herbaceous communities similar in appearance, which were typical for the cold periods in the Pleistocene.