DOCSLIB.ORG

Master's Thesis

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Master's Thesis Foraminiferal Assemblages on Sediments and Reef Rubble at Conch Reef, Florida USA by Christy McNey Stephenson A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science College of Marine Science University of South Florida Major Professor: Pamela Hallock Muller, Ph.D. Kendra Daly, Ph.D. Lisa Robbins, Ph.D. Date of Approval: April 11, 2011 Keywords: coral reef, environmental indicators, benthic communities, concentration ratio, FORAM Index Copyright © 2011, Christy McNey Stephenson DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my mother and myself. “Mom, while you are no longer with the living you are still a source of encouragement and inspiration to me throughout my life.” This thesis is dedicated to two strong women, whom never let the obstacles of life get in the way of personal success. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Pamela Hallock Muller for her patience, support, and guidance throughout my graduate career. I also acknowledge my committee members, Kendra Daly Ph.D. and Lisa Robbins Ph.D. for their critical reviews of my thesis. This research would not have been possible without field support from NOAA contract number to NURC-UNCW: NA080AR4300863; subcontract to UNC-Chapel Hill: ARB-2008-11 (PIs: C. Martens and N. Lindquist); subcontract to USF: 5-46147 (PIs: P. Hallock Muller and R. Byrne). Special thanks to J. Scott Fulcher for his invaluable help processing samples, photographic support and providing tremendous mental and moral support. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ iii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... x INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 Conch Reef............................................................................................................. 1 Foraminifera ........................................................................................................... 4 Foraminifera as environmental indicators ............................................................. 5 Indices .................................................................................................................... 7 Controversy in foraminiferal research ................................................................. 11 PROJECT OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................ 14 Major questions and hypothesis ........................................................................... 15 METHODS .................................................................................................................. 16 Sample collection ................................................................................................. 16 Sample processing ............................................................................................... 17 Sediment samples..................................................................................... 17 Grain-size analysis ................................................................................... 18 Rubble samples ........................................................................................ 18 Foraminiferal assemblages ....................................................................... 19 Data analysis ........................................................................................................ 20 Grain-size analysis ................................................................................... 20 Foraminiferal assemblages ....................................................................... 20 Indices analysis ........................................................................................ 20 Multivariate analyses of foraminiferal assemblages ................................ 24 RESULTS .................................................................................................................. 26 Grain-size ............................................................................................................. 26 Foraminiferal assemblages in sediment samples ................................................. 28 Key genera ............................................................................................... 28 Indices analysis ........................................................................................ 29 Sample distribution .................................................................................. 34 i Foraminiferal assemblages in rubble samples ..................................................... 41 Key genera ............................................................................................... 41 Indices analysis ........................................................................................ 41 Sample distribution .................................................................................. 45 Comparison of foraminiferal assemblages with sediment and rubble samples ......................................................................................... 53 Key genera ............................................................................................... 53 Indices analysis ........................................................................................ 53 Sample distribution .................................................................................. 55 Concentration ratio................................................................................... 62 Comparison of live versus dead foraminiferal assemblages .................... 64 Langer Morphotypes ................................................................................ 64 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................. 69 History of previous studies ................................................................................. 69 Sample homogeneity and distribution ................................................................. 70 Concentration ratio............................................................................................... 71 Faunal assemblages .............................................................................................. 74 Total assemblage controversy .............................................................................. 75 Comparison of live versus dead foraminiferal assemblages ................................ 76 Within sample versus within site variability ........................................................ 78 Indices .................................................................................................................. 79 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 82 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 85 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................. 96 Appendix A: Raw data from sediment samples .................................................. 97 Appendix B: Raw SIMPER results from sediment samples .............................. 101 Appendix C: Raw data from rubble samples ..................................................... 107 Appendix D: Raw SIMPER results from rubble samples .................................. 111 Appendix E: Foraminiferal Species list for Conch Reef, Florida ...................... 120 Appendix F: Raw SIMPER results on the combined data set by Clusters ........ 126 Appendix G: Raw SIMPER results on the combined data set to sample type .............................................................................................. 134 ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Calculation of the FORAM Index............................................................... 23 Table 2: Weight percent for each grain size class for the 17 sediment samples from Conch Reef, collected in October 2008 ............................................. 27 Table 3: Distribution of median grain size in 17 sediment samples from Conch Reef, collected in October 2008 ...................................................... 27 Table 4: All foraminiferal genera identified in samples collected at Conch Reef in October 2008. ................................................................................ 30 Table 5: Summary of foraminiferal assemblage data and indices in sediment samples collected at Conch Reef, October 2008 ........................................ 33 Table 6: Summary of ANOSIM and SIMPER results for sediment samples by clusters ........................................................................................................ 37 Table 7: ANOSIM pairwise test of the sediment samples to FI groupings .............. 38 Table 8: Summary of the foraminiferal assemblage data and indices in rubble samples collected at Conch Reef, October 2008 ....................................... 42 Table 9: Summary of ANOSIM and SIMPER results for rubble samples by Clusters ....................................................................................................... 50 Table
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Recent and Quaternary Foraminifera Collected Around New Caledonia
    Plates 6/1 & 6/2 Recent and Quaternary foraminifera collected around New Caledonia Jean-Pierre DEBENAY 1 & Guy CABIOCH 2 1 UPRES EA, Universite d'Angers, 2 Bd Lavoisiere, 49045, Angers cedex, France 2 Institut de Recherche pour Developpement, UR 055, Paliotropique, Centre IRD, BPA5, 98848 Noumea cedex, Nouvelle-Caledonie [email protected] Abstract The compilation of the works carried out on Recent and Quaternary foraminifera collected in the waters surrounding New Caledonia allowed us to identify 574 species. These species are listed according to the classification of Loeblish & Tappan (1988), updated for the Recent species by Debenay et al. (1996). Their affinity with microfaunas from other regions is briefly discussed. Resume La compilation des travaux sur les foramini:feres actuels et quaternaires recoltes dans les eaux entourant la Nouvelle-Caledonie nous a permis de repertorier 574 especes. Ces especes sont presen­ tees selon la classification de Loeblish & Tappan (1988), mise ajour pour les especes actuelles par Debenay et al. (1996). Leur affinite avec les microfaunes d'autres regions est discutee brievement. Introduction The first study about foraminifera from the southwestern Pacific near New Caledonia was carried out by Brady (1884) during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1873-1876), updated by Barker (1960), The nearest station was station 177, near Vanuatu (16°45'S-168°5'E). However, studies concerning directly New Caledonia began much later, with partial and local inventories in coastal samples (Gambini,1958, 1959; Renaud-Debyser, 1965; Toulouse, 1965, 1966). Samples of recent and fossil sediments collected during the Singer-Polignac mission (1960-1965) were further used for several studies of foraminiferal assemblages (Coudray & Margerel, 1974; Coudray, 1976; Margerel, 1981).
    [Show full text]
  • New Recent Foraminiferal Genera and Species from the Lagoon at Madang, Papua New Guinea
    New Recent foraminiferal genera and species from the lagoon at Madang, Papua New Guinea MARTIN R. LANGER Museum of Paleontology University of California Berkley, CA.94720, U.S.A. ABSTRACT Two new genera and eight new species of benthic foraminifera are described from the shallow water, tropical lagoon of Madang, Papua New Guinea. The new hauerinid genus Pseudolachlanella is characterized by juvenile cryptoquinqueloculine, adult almost massiline arranged chambers, and a slitlike, curved aperture with parallel sides and a long, slender, curved miliolid tooth. Pitella haigi n. gen., n. sp. is a new foraminifera with cryptoquinqueloculine arranged chambers, an almost entirely pitted shell surface (pseudopores)and a rounded aperture with a short simple tooth. Among the other species described as new are four hauerinids and two agglutinated foraminifera All new species described here occur sporadically in the shallow water back- and forereef environments of the lagoon (0-55m), and live infaunally and epifaunally in well-oxygenated, fine and coarse grained biogenic sediments. They are absent in muddy, organic-rich, low-oxygen sedimentary environments within bay inlets where variations of salinity are considerable. J. Microialaeontol. (1); 85-93, June 1992. 145-47' 49 50' 51' 11 48' I INTRODUCTION . Bostrem Cam Barsch The diverse, tropical foraminiferal faunal community from Papua New Guinea (PNG) represents an important link 5: between the Red Sea - East-African faunal province 5' (Hottinger, 1983, Reiss and Hottinger, 1984, Hottinger and Sample
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to 1.000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific New Caledonia
    Jean-Pierre Debenay A Guide to 1,000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific New Caledonia PUBLICATIONS SCIENTIFIQUES DU MUSÉUM Debenay-1 7/01/13 12:12 Page 1 A Guide to 1,000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific: New Caledonia Debenay-1 7/01/13 12:12 Page 2 Debenay-1 7/01/13 12:12 Page 3 A Guide to 1,000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific: New Caledonia Jean-Pierre Debenay IRD Éditions Institut de recherche pour le développement Marseille Publications Scientifiques du Muséum Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle Paris 2012 Debenay-1 11/01/13 18:14 Page 4 Photos de couverture / Cover photographs p. 1 – © J.-P. Debenay : les foraminifères : une biodiversité aux formes spectaculaires / Foraminifera: a high biodiversity with a spectacular variety of forms p. 4 – © IRD/P. Laboute : îlôt Gi en Nouvelle-Calédonie / Island Gi in New Caledonia Sauf mention particulière, les photos de cet ouvrage sont de l'auteur / Except particular mention, the photos of this book are of the author Préparation éditoriale / Copy-editing Yolande Cavallazzi Maquette intérieure et mise en page / Design and page layout Aline Lugand – Gris Souris Maquette de couverture / Cover design Michelle Saint-Léger Coordination, fabrication / Production coordination Catherine Plasse La loi du 1er juillet 1992 (code de la propriété intellectuelle, première partie) n'autorisant, aux termes des alinéas 2 et 3 de l'article L. 122-5, d'une part, que les « copies ou reproductions strictement réservées à l'usage privé du copiste et non destinées à une utilisation collective » et, d'autre part, que les analyses et les courtes citations dans un but d'exemple et d'illustration, « toute représentation ou reproduction intégrale ou partielle, faite sans le consentement de l'auteur ou de ses ayants droit ou ayants cause, est illicite » (alinéa 1er de l'article L.
    [Show full text]
  • THE EFFECTS of OCEAN ACIDIFICATION on MODERN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA by Laura R. Pettit a Thesis Submitted to Plymouth University I
    University of Plymouth PEARL https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk 04 University of Plymouth Research Theses 01 Research Theses Main Collection 2015 The Effects of Ocean Acidification on Modern Benthic Foraminifera Pettit, Laura Rachel http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/3465 Plymouth University All content in PEARL is protected by copyright law. Author manuscripts are made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the details provided on the item record or document. In the absence of an open licence (e.g. Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher or author. THE EFFECTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON MODERN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA by Laura R. Pettit A thesis submitted to Plymouth University in partial fulfilment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Marine Science and Engineering Doctoral Training Centre This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation from the thesis and no information derived from it may be published without the author’s prior consent. THE EFFECTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON MODERN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA by Laura R. Pettit A thesis submitted to Plymouth University in partial fulfilment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Marine Science and Engineering Doctoral Training Centre The effects of ocean acidification on Modern benthic Foraminifera Laura Rachel Pettit Abstract Ocean acidification may cause biodiversity loss, alter ecosystems and impact food security, yet uncertainty over ecological responses to ocean acidification remains considerable.
    [Show full text]
  • Reef Foraminifera As Bioindicators of Coral Reef Health in Southern South
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Reef foraminifera as bioindicators of coral reef health in southern South China Sea Aishah Norashikin Abdul A’ziz1, Fatin Izzati Minhat1,2*, Hui‑Juan Pan3, Hasrizal Shaari1,2, Wan Nurzalia Wan Saelan1,2, Nazihah Azmi1, Omar Abdul Rahman Abdul Manaf1 & Md Nizam Ismail4 Pulau Tioman is a famous tourist island of Peninsular Malaysia with beautiful coral reefs. This study aims to assess the health of the coral reefs surrounding Pulau Tioman based on the application of the Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring Index (FI). Ten sampling sites around Pulau Tioman were studied with a total of 30 samples. Eight orders, 41 families, 80 genera, and 161 species of benthic foraminifera were identifed. The agglutinated type of foraminifera constituted 2–8% of the total assemblages. Calcareous hyaline and porcelaneous groups represented 79% and 19% of the total assemblages, respectively. Symbiont‑bearing taxa were the most common foraminifera. The results indicate that most of the sampling sites are conducive for coral reef growth with good recoverability from future stress to the ecosystem. However, several areas with higher coastal development and tourism have reduced water and sediment quality. Therefore, the limit on the number of visitors and tourists should be revised to enable coral growth and health. The FI values in this study showed a positive correlation with good water qualities and a negative correlation with organic matter enrichment. The FI is a good measure to assess the health of a coral reef and can be applied to other reef ecosystems around Malaysia. Te coral reef ecosystem is among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world that plays a vital role in shaping the balance of environmental processes over the past 200 million years 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Applying Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblage to Evaluate the Coral Reef Condition in Dongsha Atoll Lagoon
    Zoological Studies 56: 20 (2017) doi:10.6620/ZS.2017.56-20 Applying Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblage to Evaluate the Coral Reef Condition in Dongsha Atoll lagoon Chienhsun Chen1,2,* and Hui-Ling Lin1,2 1Taiwan Ocean Research Institute, National Applied Research Laboratories, 80143 Kaohsiung, Taiwan 2Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, 80424 Kaohsiung, Taiwan (Received 29 March 2017; Accepted 27 June 2017; Published 20 July 2017; Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan) Chienhsun Chen and Hui-Ling Lin (2017) Coral reefs in the South China Sea are threatened by environmental changes and anthropogenic disruptions. Foraminifera, a group of unicellular shelled protists, has been considered a reliable indicator of water quality and reef health. However, this indicator has not yet been used to study coral reefs in the South China Sea. In this study of foraminifera in the lagoon of Dongsha Atoll, both the assemblage diversity and the functional group composition were investigated. The FORAM index (FI), a numerical indicator based on functional group composition, was used to evaluate the condition of the coral reef of the Atoll lagoon. A typical assumption is that FI = 4 is the minimum index value corresponding to a suitable environment for the growth of calcifying organisms. Environments with FI values between 2 and 4 are unsuitable to marginal for recovery of coral communities after a mortality event. Data were recorded regarding a total of 287 foraminiferal species. Approximately 68% of the tests belonged to the porcelaneous taxa; the Quinqueloculina, Triloculina, and Pseudomassilina species were well represented. Hyaline foraminifera were less abundant than porcelaneous foraminifera; the agglutinated foraminifera were the least abundant.
    [Show full text]
  • Benthic Foraminiferal Living Depths, Stable Isotopes, and Taxonomy Offshore South Georgia, Southern Ocean: Implications for Calcification Depths
    J. Micropalaeontology, 37, 25–71, 2018 https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-37-25-2018 © Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. “Live” (stained) benthic foraminiferal living depths, stable isotopes, and taxonomy offshore South Georgia, Southern Ocean: implications for calcification depths Rowan Dejardin1, Sev Kender2,3, Claire S. Allen4, Melanie J. Leng1,5, George E. A. Swann1, and Victoria L. Peck4 1Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK 2Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK 3British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK 4British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK 5NERC Isotope Geosciences Facilities, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK Correspondence: Rowan Dejardin ([email protected]) Published: 5 January 2018 Abstract. It is widely held that benthic foraminifera exhibit species-specific calcification depth preferences, with their tests recording sediment pore water chemistry at that depth (i.e. stable isotope and trace metal compositions). This assumed depth-habitat-specific pore water chemistry relationship has been used to re- construct various palaeoenvironmental parameters, such as bottom water oxygenation. However, many deep- water foraminiferal studies show wide intra-species variation in sediment living depth but relatively narrow intra-species variation in stable isotope composition. To investigate this depth-habitat–stable-isotope relation- ship on the shelf, we analysed depth distribution and stable isotopes of “living” (Rose Bengal stained) benthic foraminifera from two box cores collected on the South Georgia shelf (ranging from 250 to 300 m water depth).
    [Show full text]
  • Paleoambiental Interpretations of Middle Pleistocene with Benthic
    UNIVERSIDADE DO VALE DO RIO DOS SINOS - UNISINOS UNIDADE ACADÊMICA DE GRADUAÇÃO CURSO DE CIÊNCIAS BIOLÓGICAS - BACHARELADO MICAEL LUÃ BERGAMASCHI INTERPRETAÇÕES PALEOAMBIENTAIS DO PLEISTOCENO MÉDIO COM BASE EM FORAMINÍFEROS BENTÔNICOS DA BACIA DE SANTOS – BRASIL SÃO LEOPOLDO 2012 Micael Luã Bergamaschi INTERPRETAÇÕES PALEOAMBIENTAIS DO PLEISTOCENO MÉDIO COM BASE EM FORAMINÍFEROS BENTÔNICOS DA BACIA DE SANTOS – BRASIL Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso apresentado como requisito parcial para a obtenção do título de Bacharel em Ciências Biológicas, pelo Curso de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - UNISINOS Orientador: Prof. Dr. Itamar Ivo Leipnitz São Leopoldo 2012 Aos meus pais, Cláudia e Fernando. Presentes nos momentos de eclipse e luz em minha vida. AGRADECIMENTOS Ao finalizar este estudo e concluir mais uma etapa em minha vida, gostaria de agradecer àqueles que colaboraram de diversas e significativas maneiras no desenvolvimento e evolução deste trabalho: Ao meu orientador, Itamar Ivo Leipnitz, que sempre me incentivou, apoiou e abriu portas na minha jovem caminhada ao longo destes anos que venho me dedicando aos estudos com foraminíferos. Aos pesquisadores e amigos, Carolina Jardim Leão e Fabricio Ferreira, pela oportunidade, ideias e ensinamentos passados, contribuindo para a realização deste trabalho e motivação para muitos outros que estão por vir. À Petrobras por ter cedido as amostras para execução deste trabalho. Aos colegas do Instituto Tecnológico de Micropaleontologia (ITT Fossil – Unisinos), pelo suporte técnico de fundamental importância. Pelas risadas e diversos momentos de descontração. Aos amigos da Biologia, pelos momentos de diversão e discussões biológicas, que de forma direta ou indireta contribuíram para a conclusão deste trabalho.
    [Show full text]
  • Modern Benthic Foraminiferal Diversity: an Initial Insight Into the Total Foraminiferal Diversity Along the Kuwait Coastal Water
    diversity Article Modern Benthic Foraminiferal Diversity: An Initial Insight into the Total Foraminiferal Diversity along the Kuwait Coastal Water Eqbal Al-Enezi 1, Sawsan Khader 2, Eszter Balassi 3 and Fabrizio Frontalini 3,* 1 Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Safat 13109, Kuwait; [email protected] 2 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Safat 13060, Kuwait; [email protected] 3 Department of Pure and Applied Sciences (DiSPeA), Urbino University, 61029 Urbino, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-392-8457-666 Received: 11 March 2020; Accepted: 2 April 2020; Published: 5 April 2020 Abstract: Kuwait territorial water hosts an important part of national biodiversity (i.e., zooplankton and phytoplankton), but very limited information exists on the overall diversity of benthic foraminifera. On the basis of the integration of publications, reports and theses with new available data from the Kuwait Bay and the northern islands, this study infers the total benthic foraminiferal diversity within Kuwait territorial water. This new literature survey documents the presence of 451 species belonging to 156 genera, 64 families, 31 superfamilies and 9 orders. These values are relatively high in consideration of the limited extension and the shallow depth of the Kuwait territorial water. Kuwait waters offer a variety of different environments and sub-environments (low salinity/muddy areas in the northern part, embayment, rocky tidal flats, coral reef systems, islands and shelf slope) that all together host largely diversified benthic foraminiferal communities. These figures are herein considered as underestimated because of the grouping of unassigned species due to the lack of reference collections and materials, as well as the neglection of the soft-shell monothalamids (‘allogromiids’).
    [Show full text]
  • POCE0018-D.Pdf
    UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE SANTA CATARINA COORDENADORIA ESPECIAL DE OCEANOGRAFIA PROGRAMA DE PÓS GRADUAÇÃO EM OCEANOGRAFIA Thaise Ricardo de Freitas MÉTODO AUTOMATIZADO PARA ESTIMATIVA DA BIOMASSA DE FORAMINÍFEROS BENTÔNICOS Florianópolis 2019 Thaise Ricardo de Freitas MÉTODO AUTOMATIZADO PARA ESTIMATIVA DA BIOMASSA DE FORAMINÍFEROS BENTÔNICOS Dissertação submetida ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Oceanografia Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Carla Bonetti Coorientador: Prof. Dr. Eduardo Tadeu Bacalhau Florianópolis 2019 Ficha de identificação da obra elaborada pelo autor, através do Programa de Geração Automática da Biblioteca Universitária da UFSC. Freitas, Thaise Ricardo de MÉTODO AUTOMATIZADO PARA ESTIMATIVA DA BIOMASSA DE FORAMINÍFEROS BENTÔNICOS / Thaise Ricardo de Freitas ; orientadora, Carla Bonetti, coorientador, Eduardo Bacalhau, 2019. 59 p. Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências Físicas e Matemáticas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia, Florianópolis, 2019. Inclui referências. 1. Oceanografia. 2. análise de imagens. 3. biomassa. 4. biometria. 5. microfósseis. I. Bonetti, Carla. II. Bacalhau, Eduardo. III. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia. IV. Título. AGRADECIMENTOS Este trabalho não poderia ser feito sem a compreensão, carinho e força que toda minha família me fornece. Todos aqueles que mesmo longe, em tantas cidades diferentes, se importam e amam.
    [Show full text]
  • THE EFFECTS of OCEAN ACIDIFICATION on MODERN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA by Laura R. Pettit a Thesis Submitted to Plymouth University I
    THE EFFECTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON MODERN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA by Laura R. Pettit A thesis submitted to Plymouth University in partial fulfilment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Marine Science and Engineering Doctoral Training Centre This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation from the thesis and no information derived from it may be published without the author’s prior consent. THE EFFECTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON MODERN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA by Laura R. Pettit A thesis submitted to Plymouth University in partial fulfilment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Marine Science and Engineering Doctoral Training Centre The effects of ocean acidification on Modern benthic Foraminifera Laura Rachel Pettit Abstract Ocean acidification may cause biodiversity loss, alter ecosystems and impact food security, yet uncertainty over ecological responses to ocean acidification remains considerable. Most work on the impact of ocean acidification on foraminifera has been short-term laboratory experiments on single species. To expand this, benthic foraminiferal assemblages were examined across shallow water CO2 gradients in the Gulf of California, off the islands of Ischia and Vulcano in Italy and off Papua New Guinea. Living assemblages from the Gulf of California did not appear to show a response across a pH range of 7.55 – 7.88, although the species assemblage was impoverished in all locations and the dead assemblage was less diverse at the lowest pH sites where there was evidence of post mortem dissolution.
    [Show full text]
  • Reef Foraminifera As Bioindicator of Coral Reef Health in Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia
    Reef Foraminifera As Bioindicator Of Coral Reef Health in Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia Aishah Norashikin Abdul A’ziz Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Fatin Izzati Minhat ( [email protected] ) Universiti Malaysia Terengganu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8153-3500 Pan Hui-Juan National Taiwan Ocean University Hasrizal Shaari Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Wan Nurzalia Wan Saelan Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Nazihah Azmi Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Omar Abdul Rahman Abdul Manaf Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Md Nizam Ismail Fisheries Research Institute Malaysia Research article Keywords: Foraminifera, Coral Reef, FORAM Index, Coastal development, Reef recovery Posted Date: August 26th, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-51033/v1 License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License Page 1/18 Abstract Pulau Tioman is one of the famous tourism islands in Peninsular Malaysia due to the beautiful terrestrial and coral reefs ecosystem. This study aims to assess and monitor the health of coral reef sites surrounding Pulau Tioman based on the application of Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring (FORAM) Index. A total of ten selected sampling sites from west and east side of Pulau Tioman were setup in front of the major beach areas around Pulau Tioman. At each site, 100 m transect was laid out from shore towards the reef slope and surface sediment samples were collected at 50 m intervals. Eight orders, 41 families, 80 genera and 161 species of benthic foraminifera were identied around Pulau Tioman. Amphistegina lessonii found to be the most dominant species and the least dominant species (< 4%) are Bolivina vadescens, Elphidium neosimplex, Heterolepa dutemplei, Heterolepa subhaidingerii, Mikrobelodontos bradyi, Milliolinella suborbicularis, Operculina discoidalis, Parahourinoides fragillissimus, Quinqueloculina incisa, Quinqueloculina sulcate, Triloculinella bertheliniana and Triloculinella parisa.
    [Show full text]