Fossilized Algae Coming Soon Algae are very important producers in the marine environment's food chain. Through photosynthesis, by using energy from sunlight, algae can convert carbon dioxide and important nutrient elements such as Carbon, Magnesium, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Potassium, Iodine, Nitrogen, Calcium and Iron into carbohydrates and proteins that sustain all animal life. Some very important examples of fossilized algae have been found in the Pennsylvanian and Permian strata of southeastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa. Algae are very important fossils in helping geologists and paleontologists to understand the ancient environments of depositions and ecosystems that existed in the geologic past. The kind of algae present in a rock can give the geologist some idea as to the depth of water in which the rock was deposited.
Some wavelengths of light penetrate the water column deeper than other wavelengths.
Different species of algae photosynthesize at different wavelengths of light. Arthropods Arthropods are joint-legged animals with segmented bodies. Modern Brachiopods Brachiopods are exclusively marine bivalved animals. They were common in the Paleozoic seas that covered much of North America but their numbers and diversity have decreased since the beginning of the Mesozoic. The Stull shale member of the Kanwaka formation crops out extensively in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas.