Benthic foraminifera distribution in high polluted sediments from Niterói Harbor (Guanabara Bay), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

Dockyards and harbors are recognized as being important locations where sediment-associated pollutants can accumulate, which constitutes an environmental risk to aquatic life due to potential uptake and accumulation of heavy metals in the biota. The aim of this paper is to assess the concentrations and the effects of some heavy metals in the benthic foraminifera assemblage in Niterói Harbor. Low concentrations in the benthic foraminifera as well as the dominance of indicative species such as Ammonia tepida, Buliminella elegantissima and Bolivina lowmani can be associated with an environment under stress. In addition, the occurrence of test abnormalities among foraminifera may represent a useful biomarker for evaluating long-term environmental impacts in a coastal region.

Morphological Abnormalities and Dwarfism in Maastrichtian Foraminifera from the Cárdenas Formation, Valles–San Luis Potosí Platform, Mexico: evidence of paleoenvironmental stress

“…Recent studies have extensively documented foraminiferal test deformities from areas contaminated by heavy metals or other chemicals due to domestic sewage, and/or hydrocarbon spills (Resig, 1960;Alve, 1991;Yanko et al, 1998;Geslin et al, 1998;Samir, 2000;Geslin et al, 2002, Vilela et al, 2004Buzas-Stephens and Buzas, 2005;Meriç et al, 2005;Cevison and Hallock, 2007;Luciani, 2007;Fontalini and Coccioni, 2008;Polodova and Schönfeld, 2008;Madkour and Ali, 2008;Debenay et al, 2009;Martínez-Colón et al, 2009). However, it is important to emphasize that anthropogenic pollution is not always the cause of abnormal test formation (Stouf et al, 1999a).…”

Heavy metal incorporation in foraminiferal calcite: results from multi-element enrichment culture experiments with <i>Ammonia tepida</i>

“…Despite this, most pollution studies focus exclusively on bulk sediment analyses and/or foraminiferal distribution patterns (e.g. Alve, 1991Alve, , 1995Vilela et al, 2004;BuzasStephens and Buzas, 2005;Carnahan et al, 2008), partly due to the fact that accurate distribution coefficients have not yet been determined for linking sea water chemistry with foraminiferal carbonates for many of the elements of interest. As polluted sediments are usually suboxic or anoxic due to enrichment in organic matter with high levels of sulphate reduction, heavy metals are often accumulated and bound to highly insoluble minerals such as sulphides.…”

Living benthic Foraminifera from the Saquarema lagoonal system (Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil)

“…Ammonia tepida is commonly encountered in restricted environments under stress of pollution from natural or anthropogenic sources (Vilela et al 2004;Yanko et al 1994Yanko et al , 1999Alve 1995;Culver & Buzas 1995;Sousa et al 1997;Bonetti et al 1997;Debenay et al 2000Debenay et al , 2001; Van der Zwaan 2000; Raposo et al 2016). In Rio de Janeiro state, it was the dominant species in Guanabara Bay and Itaipu Lagoon.…”

“…Bruno (2012) linked the occurrence of C. excavatum to restricted marine influence next to the artificial channel in Lagoa de Maricá, Rio de Janeiro state. This species is believed to be cosmopolitan because it has been recorded in several lagoons of Brazil and around the world (Debenay et al 2001;Vilela et al 2004;Laut et al 2012;Martins et al 2015). Cribroelphidium excavatum is also common in estuarine systems such as in the Rio Potengi, northeastern of Brazil (Souza et al 2010), and in Rio Paraiba do Sul, Rio de Janeiro state (Laut et al 2011).…”