EN :
Ostracodes that have lived in lakes, ponds, and streams are recovered as fossil shells from lacustrine and some fluvial sediments.Knowing some details of the physical and chemical habitat in which ostracode specieslive (autecology) allows one to decipher past habitats from fossil bearing sediments. Based on changes in ostracode faunal associations, changes in the physical and chemical habitats, can be interpreted. Climate, the driving force behind most changes in lakes and ponds, can also be delineated. The history of ostracode paleo environmental research as it pertains to Canada and to some extent North America is the subject of this review paper.
