Global Database of Foraminiferal Organic Linings: ForamL Version 1.5
Description
The ForamL Version 1.5 database offers an expanded and updated inventory of references to published images of FOLs available in the scientific literature (Godos et al., 2021, 2024, 2025). The organic linings compiled in this dataset originate from both recent marine environments and globally distributed sedimentary rock samples. Earlier reviews of the published sources produced a dataset of 204 publications documenting 856 individual organic linings. In this revised release, we incorporate 29 additional images that were absent from ForamL 1.4 (Godos et al., 2025). Altogether, 856 linings have been assigned to supraordinal groups within the phylum Foraminifera (Pawlowski et al., 2013) and categorized according to major morphological chamber‑arrangement types. The database is organized into three main tables covering the entire Phanerozoic and subdivided into Cenozoic, Mesozoic, and Paleozoic erathems/eras, with further division into systems/periods such as the ,,modern period”. The ,,modern period” represents an informal, short temporal category that includes organic linings derived from natural environments, encompassing both living and dead material. It also contains subfossil remains preserved in marine sediments that have not undergone full fossilization and therefore don’t qualify as true fossils. A key requirement for inclusion in the database was the use of palynological preparation techniques. Analysis of the dataset indicates a progressive increase in the number of recorded organic linings from older to younger stratigraphic intervals. The Cenozoic shows the highest density of FOL occurrences per 10 million years, followed by the Mesozoic and Paleozoic. A similar trend is visible in the ,,modern period,” which contains 164 specimens documented over the 68 years represented in the literature. However, this apparent rise is largely a methodological artifact resulting from comparing a short modern timeframe with the vast expanse of geological history. Across geological time, a notable increase in fossil organic linings begins in the Jurassic, potentially linked to the evolutionary diversification of globothalamean foraminifera. Morphological assessment of multichambered linings reveals a dominance of spiral architectures. The earliest biserial linings appear in the Triassic and persist through later intervals. Although Paleozoic records remain sparse, the updated database now includes Permian linings-two spiral and two uniserial forms (Playford, 2021; Aggarwal, 2022). The overarching aim of compiling this dataset is to advance understanding of the origin, taphonomic pathways, and phylogenetic evolution of these fossilizable organic structures in foraminifera. The latest synthesis of knowledge on foraminiferal organic linings is provided by Tyszka et al. (2021). The ForamL database will continue to be expanded, and contributions of graphical FOL data both published and unpublished are welcomed.