Foraminiferal assemblages in Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA: Responses to urban and agricultural influence in a subtropical estuary

Foraminiferal assemblages in Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA: Responses to urban and agricultural influence in a subtropical estuary

This study assessed foraminiferal assemblages in Biscayne Bay, Florida, a heavily utilized estuary, interpreting changes over the past 65years and providing a baseline for future comparisons. Analyses of foraminiferal data at the genus level revealed three distinct biotopes. The assemblage from the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 59; no. 8-12; pp. 221 - 233
Main Authors: Carnahan, E.A., Hoare, A.M., Hallock, P., Lidz, B.H., Reich, C.D.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-01-2009
Subjects:
Agriculture
Ammonia
Archaias
Biodiversity
Brackish
Eutrophication
Florida
FORAM Index
Foraminifera - physiology
Geologic Sediments - analysis
Heavy metals
Hypoxia
Population Density
Quinqueloculina
Urban Renewal
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
Florida
ASW, USA, Florida
ASW, USA, Florida, Biscayne Bay
Ammonia
Archaias
Hypoxia
FORAM Index
Heavy metals
Eutrophication
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study assessed foraminiferal assemblages in Biscayne Bay, Florida, a heavily utilized estuary, interpreting changes over the past 65years and providing a baseline for future comparisons. Analyses of foraminiferal data at the genus level revealed three distinct biotopes. The assemblage from the northern bay was characterized by stress-tolerant taxa, especially Ammonia, present in low abundances (∼2.0×103foraminifers/gram) though relatively high diversity (∼19genera/sample). The southwestern margin of the bay was dominated by Ammonia and Quinqueloculina, an assemblage characterized by the lowest diversities (∼12 genera/sample) and highest abundances (∼1.1×104foraminifers/gram), influenced by both reduced salinity and elevated organic-carbon concentrations. A diverse assemblage of smaller miliolids and rotaliids (∼26genera/sample) characterized the open-bay assemblage, which also had a significant component (∼10%) of taxa that host algal endosymbionts. In the past 65years, populations of symbiont-bearing taxa, which are indicators of normal-marine conditions, have decreased while stress-tolerant taxa, especially Ammonia spp., have increased in predominance.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ObjectType-Article-2
ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:0025-326X
1879-3363
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.08.008