Benthic Foraminifera in Two Stressed Environments of the Northern Gulf of Mexico
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 2001 Benthic Foraminifera in Two Stressed Environments of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Emil Platon Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Platon, Emil, "Benthic Foraminifera in Two Stressed Environments of the Northern Gulf of Mexico." (2001). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 307. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/307 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. 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Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA IN TWO STRESSED ENVIRONMENTS OF THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geology and Geophysics by Emil Platon DIPLOMA, University of Bucharest, 1985 MS, Louisiana State University, 2000 May, 2001 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 3016570 UMI’ UMI Microform 3016570 Copyright 2001 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I gratefully acknowledge my advisor, Banin K. Sen Gupta, who introduced me to the ecology of Recent benthic Foraminifera and shared with me his priceless experience. I am greatly indebted to him for always being there to answer my questions, give advice, and encourage me. He provided financial support, sampling opportunities, samples, and data. I would also like to thank him for proofreading this report, a major contribution to the final form of my work. Grateful thanks are also due to my other committee members, Nancy Rabalais, Paul Aharon, Arnold Bouma, Eugene Turner, John Wrenn, and Abner Hammond, who helped me with their advice, comments, and suggestions along the way. I am grateful to Nancy Rabalais and Eugene Turner for providing sampling opportunities and data and for always being there to help. I thank Paul Aharon who offered isotope data and guided me through the work on foraminiferal isotope composition. Thanks also go to Mathew Hackworth who offered some of his unpublished data and Christopher Wheeler who performed isotope analysis. I thank Quay Dortch (LUMCON) for sampling opportunities. Thanks also go to Gary Byelry and Xiaogang Xie who allowed me to use the facilities in the Louisiana State University Department of Geology and Geophysics Electron Microprobe Laboratory and provided assistance when necessary. I would like to thank my friend Samuel Huisman for help and support This project was supported by Minerals Management Service (MMS-LSU Coastal Marine Institute) Grant No. 14-35-0001-3 and partially by Integrated Interpretation Center of Conoco Inc., Houston, Texas. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS....................................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................. ix LIST OF PLATES.................................................................................................... xiii ABSTRACT............................................................................................................ xiv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND: THE GULF OF MEXICO............................................. 2 General Features .............................................................................. 2 The Mississippi Influence ................................................................ 4 GULF OF MEXICO BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA................................... 5 General Features of the Distribution ................................................ 5 Seasonal Hypoxia on the Continental Shelf. ....................................7 Hydrocarbon Seeps on the Continental Slope....................................10 RELEVANT STUDIES FROM OUTSIDE THE GULF OF MEXICO 12 Pollution .......................................................................................... 12 Coastal Hypoxia .............................................................................. 14 Hydrocarbon Seeps ..........................................................................15 THIS PROJECT.......................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 2 BENTHIC FORAMINIFERAL COMMUNITIES IN OXYGEN-DEPLETED ENVIRONMENTS OF THE LOUISIANA CONTINENTAL SHELF.................................. 19 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................... 20 FORAMINIFERAL RESPONSE TO LOW OXYGEN CONCENTRATIONS.................................................................................20 Microaerophiles and Facultative Anaerobes in Controlled Experiments ...................................................................................... 20 Microhabitat Considerations ............................................................. 22 METHODS................................................................................................. 23 HYPOXIA AND FORAMINIFERAL DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS ON THE LOUISIANA CONTINENTAL...................................................25 Microhabitats of Common Species ................................................... 25 Historical Trends of Species Abundances .........................................32 The Ammonia-Elphidium Index ........................................................ 36 CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................... 38 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 3 TWENTIETH-CENTURY CHANGES IN THE BENTHIC FORAMINIFERAL COMMUNITY OF THE LOUISIANA CONTINENTAL SHELF................................................................. 41 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................42 METHODS.................................................................................................. 45 BACKGROUND: WORLDWIDE COASTAL AND OPEN SHELF HYPOXIA....................................................................................................47 SEDIMENTS AND BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA..................................... 53 SPECIES DIVERSITY................................................................................56 SPECIES DISTRIBUTION......................................................................... 59 Dominant Species ........................................................................... 59 Ammonia and Elphidium .................................................................. 60 Minor Components .......................................................................... 61 Quinqueloculina.............................................................................. 62 DISTRIBUTION OF AGGLUTINATED AND PORCELANEOUS GROUPS..................................................................................................... 64 COMMUNITY CHANGE...........................................................................67