Phyteral perspectives: Every maceral tells a story

At a symposium honoring the 50th anniversary of University Chicago, Gilbert Cady introduced concept phyterals as means distinguishing actual plant fossils from macerals composed fossils. In this sense, vitrinite and fusinite, while distinct macerals, are viewed same phyteral. contrast to such process-induced in vs. phyterals, funginite, regardless rank, age, or type fungus producing structure, is classified maceral and, by extension, The vitrinite/fusinite phyteral situation implies that fungal, bacterial, faunal degradation wood produce macrinite development. On-going biogenesis diagenesis generally origin phyteral; burning, consumption excretion, fungal decay, etc., fossil does not new fossil, just different, perhaps unrecognizable version original fossil. More than an exercise looking back at milestone development coal petrographic nomenclature, examination Cady's contribution reminds us be aware overprint type, provincialism, geologic diagenesis, metamorphism, among other influences, on nature immense paleoecological contributions gained organic petrography.