Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopic characterization of Neoproterozoic organic microfossils from the Fifteenmile Group in Yukon, Canada

Conventional and synchrotron radiation-based (SR) Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopies (micro-FTIR) were applied to four types of ~ 810 Ma organic-walled microfossils together with diffuse organic matter (OM) and one irregularly shaped structure from the Fifteenmile Group, in Yukon, Canada, for their chemical characterization. The microfossils comprised one filamentous type and three coccoidal types. Micro-FTIR mapping analysis revealed the micrometer-scale, spatial distribution of organic components (aliphatic C-H bonds) and carbonate in the microfossils. Based on comparisons of CH3/CH2 peak height ratios (R-3/2) and morphologies of the microfossils (without the diffuse OM) to those of previously described Proterozoic microfossils, possible affinities of the microfossils are suggested, as follows. Palaeolyngbya? and Glenobotrydion belong to bacteria. Myxococcoides is not clearly characterized due to the significant mixing with diffuse OM containing abundant aliphatic C-H groups. The irregularly shaped structure may represent a eukaryote. The diffuse OM may represent a mixture of decomposed microbial cells and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). SR micro-FTIR measurements of two coccoid types (Glenobotrydion and Unnamed Coccoid Form D) revealed that the R-3/2 values of the internal spots with wall structures are similar to those without wall structures in Glenobotrydion: those values from Unnamed Coccoid Form D were different. The results suggest that these two coccoids are different chemically as well as morphologically. Micro-FTIR characterization of the organic-walled microfossils together with morphological analysis provides new insight into their biological affinities.