Digital classification of Devonian miospores: development and application of a relational database

This article presents the results of developing the «Paleozoic Miospores» relational database and its application to systematizing and analyzing data on Devonian spores. The database contains detailed morphological descriptions, stratigraphic, and geographic references for 190 genera and 1,880 myospore species. The taxonomic nomenclature was standardized according to M. V. Oshurkova (Oshurkova, 2003). The use of digital tools confirmed the previously established dynamics of changes in spore species diversity in the Devonian. The practical significance of this study lies in the creation of a verified digital resource that can be used to solve stratigraphic problems, perform paleoecological, geographic, and climatic reconstructions, and for educational purposes. Future plans include supplementing the database with spore images, which will enable the implementation of a visual search for similar spores based on image comparison using computer vision methods.