Benthic Foraminifera

Abstract

Foraminifera are single celled protozoans with a very wide distribution pattern ranging from the paralic (littoral) to abyssal depths and with a geological history spanning since the Early Cambrian (see Murray 2006). Three major groups of foraminifera are noted, planktic (Fig. 1(1–5)), smaller benthic (Fig. 1(6–9), and larger benthic; the latter are identified by their larger size and complex interiors, visible in thin sections (Fig. 1(10–12)). The foraminiferal test (Fig. 1(13)) encloses the cytoplasm (soft tissue) of the foraminiferan cell with an outer layer called the ectoplasm and an inner layer, the endoplasm ; the latter gives rise to sticky pseudopodia that traps food for the organism (Fig. 1(14)). The endoplasm contains the nucleus , cell bodies, and organelles (such as mitochondria, golgi apparatus, and ribosomes) (Fig. 1(13)).