Journal of Foraminiferal Research 

About: Journal of Foraminiferal Research is an academic journal published by Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Foraminifera & Benthic zone. It has an ISSN identifier of 0096-1191. Over the lifetime, 1388 publications have been published receiving 42963 citations. The journal is also known as: JFR.

A revised tropical to subtropical Paleogene planktonic foraminiferal zonation

Abstract: New biostratigraphic investigations on deep sea cores and outcrop sections have revealed several shortcomings in currently used tropical to subtropical Eocene plank­ tonic foraminiferal zonal schemes in the form of: 1) mod­ ified taxonomic concepts, 2) modifiel:l/different ranges of taxa, and 3) improved calibrations with magnetostratig­ raphy. This new information provides us with an op­ portunity to make some necessary improvements to ex­ isting Eocene biostratigraphic schemes. At the same time, we provide an alphanumeric notation for Paleo­ gene zones using the prefix 'P' (for Paleocene), 'E' (for Eocene) and '0' (for Oligocene) to achieve consistency with recent short-hand notation for other Cenozoic zones (Miocene ['M'], Pliocene [PL] and Pleistocene [PTD. Sixteen Eocene (E) zones are introduced (or nomen­ claturally emended) to replace the 13 zones and subzones of Berggren and others (1995). This new zonation serves as a template for the taxonomic and phylogenetic studies in the forthcoming Atlas of Eocene Planktonic Forami­ nifera (Pearson and others, in press). The 10 zones and subzones of the Paleocene (Berggren and others, 1995) are retained and renamed and/or emended to reflect im­ proved taxonomy and an updated chronologic calibra­ tion to the Global Polarity Time Scale (GPTS) (Berggren and others, 2000).' The PaleocenelEocene boundary is correlated with the lowest occurrence (LO) of Acarinina sibaiyaensis (base of Zone El), at the top of the trun­ cated and redefined (former) Zone P5. The five-fold zonation of the Oligocene (Berggren and others, 1995) is modified to a six-fold zonation with the elevation of (former) Subzones P21a and P21b to zonal status. The Oligocene (0) zomil' components are re­ named and/or nomenclaturally emended.

Benthic foraminiferal responses to estuarine pollution: a review

Abstract: Benthic foraminiferal distributions in polluted marine areas have been investigated over the last three to four decades, and several workers have pointed out that they provide one of the most sensitive and inexpensive markers available for indicating deterioration of marginal marine environments. Most investigations have been carried out in temperate regions, in areas exposed to several pollution sources. However, environments characterized by organic waste contamination (e.g., sewage or paper and pulp mills) have been addressed more frequently than areas exposed to oil, thermal and various other kinds of pollution. Among the most abundant species close to many outfall areas in temperate regions are Elphidium excavatum and/or Eggerella advena (NW At1antic)lEggerelloides scabrus (NE Atlantic). The dominant tolerant or opportunistic species seems to depend on local hydrographical properties rather than type of effluent. Increased abundance, due to increased nutrient concentrations and reduced predation and competition, is often recorded in areas having high organic inputs. Such abundance aureoles may be separated from outfall centers by an area of strongly reduced abundance or, in severe cases, by a dead zone. Characteristic features of proximal areas include decreased diversity and increased dominance of tolerant or opportunistic species compared to distal areas. Whether agglutinated or calcareous forms dominate seems to depend on the local hydrography, acidity of the sediment porewater and whether living, dead or total (living + dead) assemblages are considered. Test deformation in foraminifera is known from the geological record. In modern environments, deformation occurs more frequently in polluted than in non-polluted areas. Whether different kinds of test deformation develop under pollution- versus naturally-induced stress and what kind of stress properties cause deformations have not yet been established. Differential adaptions to the complex, and in many cases unique, hydrographical and physical conditions that characterize estuarine environments often make it difficult to separate natural faunal properties from pollution effects, especially in a temporal context. Consequently, pollution effects on the biota in estuaries can best be evaluated by comparing the natural, pre-pollution assemblages with those of the present day. The presence of empty foraminiferal tests in sediment cores penetrating through contaminated intervals provides this kind of information, but possible diagenetic alterations of the original assemblages must always be considered. The fossil record can also provide a comparative baseline for evaluating to what extent legislation, intending to cause environmental improvements, has had a positive effect.

Temperature and salinity limits for growth and survival of some planktonic foraminifers in laboratory cultures

Abstract: The biological response to extreme temperatures and salinities is investigated in the laboratory for seven species of planktonic foraminifera: Globigerinoides sacculi/er (Brady), Globigerinoides ruber (d'Orbigny), Globigerinoides conglobatus (Brady), Globigerine/la siphonifera (d'Orbigny), Orbulina universa d'Orbigny, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei (d'Orbigny) and Globorotalia menardii (d'Orbigny). When one of the vital processes, food acceptance, growth or reproduction is inhibited by a culture variable, the absolute survival limit is reached. The measured in vitro temperature ranges compare well with the global temperature distribution patterns of these species, suggesting that this parameter plays a major role in their biogeographical distribution. The salinity ranges that are tolerated in laboratory cultures exceed the range encountered in modern oceans. Thus salinity does not limit the distribution of the species investigated herein. In general, larger mean final shell sizes are attained and the total shell length increase is larger at optimum temperatures and salinities than at extreme culture conditions, but the differences were not always statistically significant. Marginal temperature and salinity conditions do not induce contained growth in expatriated specimens. Under extreme culture conditions, the relative frequency of the different shell morphologies is altered relative to normal conditions. "Abnormal" phenotypes are more frequent under normal conditions and the "normal" morphology is found more often under extreme conditions. As opposed to previous reports, the frequency of kummerform chambers generally decreases toward extreme temperature and salinity culture conditions, indicating that kummerform phenotypes are not indicative of environmental stress. The incidence of sac-like chambers in G. sacculi/er and the formation of spherical chambers in adult 0. universa decrease toward extreme temperature and salinity culture conditions, demonstrating that maturation is suppressed in stress situations. SEM investigations show that changes in shell porosity are correlated with treatment variables in culture. The highest porosities are attained at higher temperatures and lower salinities. Generally, an increase in total porosity is achieved by an increase of the pore area accompanied by a reduction of the pore density. The in vitro experiments explain the changes that occurred in the Pleistocene foraminiferal assemblages from the Red Sea around 18 thousand years ago and earlier. During glacial periods, salinity approximated or even exceeded the upper thresholds that were tolerated under laboratory conditions. Under these circumstances, species disappeared from the water column. The order of disappearance as recorded in the sediments may be explained with the upper salinity limits found in this study. Also, the recurrent shifts of dominance between G. sacculi/er and G. ruber are well documented for this fossil assemblage. The present experiments support the conclusion that salinity is the driving mechanism behind this phenomenon. Observations in modern oceans suggest that the fertility of the water mass is probably also an important factor behind the shifts of dominance between G. sacculi/er and G. ruber.