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Modern benthic foraminiferal assemblages from the world’s largest deltaic mangrove ecosystem, the Sundarbans

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Abstract

The Sundarbans is the world’s largest contiguous mangrove ecosystem. Recent changes in the region have been reported due to a rise in relative sea level along with increased salinity intrusion. Intertidal benthic foraminifera are widely used as indicators of relative sea level change. The taxonomic diversity of foraminifera in the Sundarbans remains relatively understudied due to the remoteness of this ecoregion. The present study documented modern intertidal benthic foraminiferal assemblages across eight sites from previously unexplored eastern parts of the Indian Sundarbans. We also analyzed sediment texture from the study sites, which is essential for sea level reconstructions. Our study recorded an assemblage dominated by agglutinated genera that are characteristic of mangroves globally. However, we also recorded calcareous genera characteristic of higher-salinity zones, indicating saline intrusion further upstream in the region. In total, we recorded 15 species, representing ten different foraminiferal families. Total organic carbon (TOC) content and sediment composition showed variation across the studied sites. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of the biological and environmental data confirmed its usefulness for understanding shifts in hydrological conditions across this region.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the expertise of Dr. Shivranjan Kumar Bharti from the Geological Survey of India, Kolkata, in SEM imaging. We are grateful to Mr. Ravi Singh, SG & CEO, WWF-India, for constant support. We also thank Dr. Anamitra Anurag Danda, WWF-India, for helpful discussion and encouragement. We are grateful to Mr. Soumitra Das Gupta, Field Director, Sundarban Tiger Reserve, for permission to carry out the research work. This work is supported by grants awarded to Punyasloke Bhadury from the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India (InDOBIS). We acknowledge both anonymous reviewers, whose constructive comments helped to improve the manuscript.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Author notes

  1. Moumita Ghosh

    Present address: Presidency University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Integrative Taxonomy and Microbial Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal, India

    Areen Sen, Moumita Ghosh, Pradnya Khanderao & Punyasloke Bhadury

  2. WWF-India Sundarbans Program, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Sunit Kumar Das, Debmalya Roy Chowdhury, Pankaj Kumar Sarkar & Ratul Saha

Authors
  1. Areen Sen
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  2. Moumita Ghosh
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  3. Pradnya Khanderao
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  4. Sunit Kumar Das
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  5. Debmalya Roy Chowdhury
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  6. Pankaj Kumar Sarkar
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  7. Ratul Saha
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  8. Punyasloke Bhadury
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Punyasloke Bhadury.

Additional information

Communicated by P. Martinez Arbizu

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Sen, A., Ghosh, M., Khanderao, P. et al. Modern benthic foraminiferal assemblages from the world’s largest deltaic mangrove ecosystem, the Sundarbans. Mar Biodiv 46, 421–431 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-015-0383-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-015-0383-z

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