Preface: The planktonic foraminifera of the Jurassic

Planktonic foraminifera originated in late Early Jurassic and, for reasons poorly understood, only underwent proliferation of species and geographic spreading from mid-Cretaceous onwards. Their evolutionary development in the oceans and adjacent seaways since early mid-Cretaceous has spurned a large volume of increasingly sophisticated literature. Specimens of this diverse group are now routinely subject to a wide variety of taxonomic, biostratigraphic, geochemical and molecular research. This microfossil group now plays a major role in studies on Cretaceous and Cenozoic palaeoclimatology and palaeoceanography. This global attention is in striking contrast to the interest and research effort put in their Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous forerunners.