Foraminifera of the North Pacific Ocean

Smith, Patsy Beckstead

doi:10.3133/pp766

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Although occasional calcareous tests have been found below 6500 m depth (e.g. Smith 1973;Khusid 1979), the majority of foraminiferal species recorded from hadal settings are agglutinated. However, recent studies in the Challenger Deep (10,895 m depth in the Mariana Trench) have revealed that tiny species belonging to an unusual group of organic-walled genera (Nodellum, Resigella and Conicotheca) overwhelmingly dominate the foraminiferal assemblages in 32-μm sieve fractions (Todo et al 2005;Gooday et al 2008a).…”

Section: Foraminiferamentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of meiofauna in extreme marine ecosystems: a review

et al. 2017

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Extreme marine environments cover more than 50% of the Earth's surface and offer many opportunities for investigating the biological responses and adaptations of organisms to stressful life conditions. Extreme marine environments are sometimes associated with ephemeral and unstable ecosystems, but can host abundant, often endemic and welladapted meiofaunal species. In this review, we present an integrated view of the biodiversity, ecology and physiological responses of marine meiofauna inhabiting several extreme marine environments (mangroves, submarine caves, Polar ecosystems, hypersaline areas, hypoxic/anoxic environments, hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, carcasses/sunken woods, deep-sea canyons, deep hypersaline anoxic basins [DHABs] and hadal zones). Foraminiferans, nematodes and copepods are abundant in almost all of these habitats and are dominant in deep-sea ecosystems. The presence and dominance of some other taxa that are normally less common may be typical of certain extreme conditions. Kinorhynchs are particularly well adapted to cold seeps and other environments that experience drastic changes in salinity, rotifers are well represented in polar ecosystems and loriciferans seem to be the only metazoan able to survive multiple stressors in DHABs. As well as natural processes, human activities may generate stressful conditions, including deoxygenation, acidification and rises in temperature. The behaviour and physiology of different meiofaunal taxa, such as some foraminiferans, nematode and copepod species, can provide vital information on how organisms may respond to these challenges and can provide a warning signal of anthropogenic impacts. From an evolutionary perspective, the discovery of new meiofauna taxa from extreme environments very often sheds light on phylogenetic relationships, while understanding how meiofaunal organisms are able to survive or even flourish in these conditions can explain evolutionary pathways. Finally, there are multiple potential economic benefits to be gained from ecological, biological, physiological and evolutionary studies of meiofauna in extreme environments. Despite all the advantages offered by meiofauna studies from extreme environments, there is still an urgent need to foster meiofauna research in terms of composition, ecology, biology and physiology focusing on extreme environments.

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Section: Foraminiferamentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of meiofauna in extreme marine ecosystems: a review

et al. 2017

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“…According to Bender and Hemleben (1988) and Bender (1989) deep-water species from the Antarctic secreted only organic cement. Smith (1973) noted that the cement of several species from the Aleutian Trench was composed of "pseudochitin". Species which normally secrete a calcareous cement may still persist below the CCD.…”

Section: Horizontal and Vertical Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Saidova (l967b, 1981) recognised an agglutinated assemblage (the Astrorhizida -Ammodiscida taxocoenosis) at depths greater than 3500-4500 m in the Pacific, for example, >3600 m along the west coast of South America (Saidova, 1971) and >4000 m in the Kurile-Kamchatka Trench area (Saidova, 1967a(Saidova, , 1970Khusid, 1979a). The faunas studied by Khusid (l979b) in the Peru-Chile Trench, Smith (1973) in the Aleutian Trench (>7000 m), Bernstein et ai. (1978), Meador (1979), SchrOder et ai.…”

Section: Horizontal and Vertical Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Deep-Sea Agglutinated Foraminifera: A Brief Review

Gooday

1990

Paleoecology, Biostratigraphy, Paleoceanography and Taxonomy of Agglutinated Foraminifera

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ABSTRACT.Benthic foraminifera are important members of the deep-sea biota and sometimes are the dominant organisms in the meiofaunal and macrofaunal size ranges and in hard substrate communities. Agglutinated species are abundant and include a rich diversity of undescribed taxa, many of them belonging to soft-bodied groups, e.g. the Komokiacea. These delicate forms are particularly important in tranquil, central oceanic regions below the carbonate compensation depth, where calcareous species are rare. Large robust astrorhizaceans, on the other hand, are more abundant near the continental margins. Agglutinated foraminifera occupy infaunal, epifaunal and elevated microhabitats in the deep-sea. They consume a wide range of other organisms and, in turn, are ingested in large numbers by deposit-feeding megafauna and specialist predators. Their tests contribute to the structure of the benthic environment while the burrowing activities of smaller specimens may modify the sedimentary fabric. Thus, in a variety of ways, agglutinated foraminifera must playa major ecological role in the ocean-floor communities.

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“…However, it is notable that this figure is almost a quarter of the total number of species (1,796) recorded by Saidova11 from >1,630 stations spanning the entire Pacific Ocean, more than twice the 164 species recorded by Burke40 from 29 samples spanning 2,721 m of water depth on the Ontong Java Plateau, several times more than the 117 species recorded by Enge et al 2836. in >63 μm fractions from Station M, and an order of magnitude more than the 55 benthic species recorded by Smith41 in the >75-μm fraction from 27 abyssal sites in the North Pacific (Supplementary Table S1). The number of species in our samples also substantially exceeds the 141 recovered from 5 box core subcores (>297-μm fraction) in the North Pacific12 and the 252 from syringe subsamples of megacorer cores (>32-μm fraction) from the eastern CCZ13 despite the inclusion of delicate monothalamids in these earlier studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Novel benthic foraminifera are abundant and diverse in an area of the abyssal equatorial Pacific licensed for polymetallic nodule exploration

Goineau

Gooday

2017

Sci Rep

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The benthic biota of the Clarion–Clipperton Zone (CCZ, abyssal eastern equatorial Pacific) is the focus of a major research effort linked to possible future mining of polymetallic nodules. Within the framework of ABYSSLINE, a biological baseline study conducted on behalf of Seabed Resources Development Ltd. in the UK-1 exploration contract area (eastern CCZ, ~4,080 m water depth), we analysed foraminifera (testate protists), including ‘live’ (Rose Bengal stained) and dead tests, in 5 cores (0–1 cm layer, >150-μm fraction) recovered during separate megacorer deployments inside a 30 by 30 km seafloor area. In both categories (live and dead) we distinguished between complete and fragmented specimens. The outstanding feature of these assemblages is the overwhelming predominance of monothalamids, a group often ignored in foraminiferal studies. These single-chambered foraminifera, which include agglutinated tubes, spheres and komokiaceans, represented 79% of 3,607 complete tests, 98% of 1,798 fragments and 76% of the 416 morphospecies (live and dead combined) in our samples. Only 3.1% of monothalamid species and 9.8% of all species in the UK-1 assemblages are scientifically described and many are rare (29% singletons). Our results emphasise how little is known about foraminifera in abyssal areas that may experience major impacts from future mining activities.

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Foraminifera of the North Pacific Ocean

Cited by 21 publications

References 1 publication

Characteristics of meiofauna in extreme marine ecosystems: a review

Characteristics of meiofauna in extreme marine ecosystems: a review

Recent Deep-Sea Agglutinated Foraminifera: A Brief Review

Novel benthic foraminifera are abundant and diverse in an area of the abyssal equatorial Pacific licensed for polymetallic nodule exploration

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