Foraminiferal assemblages in Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA: Responses to urban and agricultural influence in a subtropical estuary
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Abstract
This study assessed foraminiferal assemblages in Biscayne Bay, Florida, a heavily utilized estuary, interpreting changes over the past 65 years 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 × 103 foraminifers/gram) though relatively high diversity (∼19 genera/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 × 104 foraminifers/gram), influenced by both reduced salinity and elevated organic-carbon concentrations. A diverse assemblage of smaller miliolids and rotaliids (∼26 genera/sample) characterized the open-bay assemblage, which also had a significant component (∼10%) of taxa that host algal endosymbionts. In the past 65 years, 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.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Foraminiferal assemblages in Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA: Responses to urban and agricultural influence in a subtropical estuary |
| Series title | Marine Pollution Bulletin |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.08.008 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 8-12 |
| Year Published | 2009 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Contributing office(s) | St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center |
| Description | 13 p. |
| First page | 221 |
| Last page | 233 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| Other Geospatial | Biscayne Bay |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |