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Stable carbon and oxygen isotope study on benthic foraminifera: Implication for microhabitat preferences and interspecies correlation

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Abstract

Stable isotopes of benthic foraminifera have widely been applied in micropalaeontological research to understand vital effects in foraminifera. Isotopic fractionations are mainly controlled by ontogeny, bottom/pore water chemistry, habitat preference, kinetic effect and respiration. Discontinuous abundance of a species for isotopic analysis has forced us to select multiple species from down-core samples. Thus standardisation factors are required to convert isotopic values of one species with respect to other species. The present study is pursued on isotopic values of different pairs of benthic foraminifera from the Krishna–Godavari basin and Peru offshore to understand habitat-wise isotopic variation and estimation of isotopic correction factors for the paired species (Cibicides wuellerstorfi–Bulimina marginata, Ammonia spp.–Loxostomum amygdalaeformis and Bolivina seminuda–Nonionella auris). Infaunal species (B. marginata, Ammonia spp. and N. auris) show a lighter carbon isotopic excursion with respect to the epifaunal to shallow infaunal forms (C. wuellerstorfi, L. amygdalaeformis and B. seminuda). These lighter \(\updelta ^{13}\) \(\hbox {C}\) values are related to utilisation of \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) produced by anaerobic remineralisation of organic matter. However, enrichment of \(\updelta ^{18}\) \(\hbox {O}\) for the deeper microhabitat (bearing lower pH and decreased \({\hbox {CO}_{3}}^{2-})\) is only recorded in case of B. marginata. It is reverse in case of N. auris and related to utilisation of respiratory \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) and internal dissolve inorganic carbon pool. Estimation of interspecies isotopic correction factors for the species pairs (\(\updelta ^{13}\) \(\hbox {C}\) of C. wuellerstorfi–B. marginata, L. amygdalaeformis–Ammonia spp., N. auris–B. seminuda) and \(\updelta ^{18}\) \(\hbox {O}\) of C. wuellerstorfi–B. marginata are statistically reliable and may be used in palaeoecological studies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thankfully acknowledge all the reviewers for their scientific suggestions. The research is financially supported by DST Research Project [SR/S4/ES-542/2010(G)] and MoES Research Project [No: MoES/P.O.(Geosci)/24/2014]. AKB is thankful to Prof. A Sarkar, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and Dr Santosh K Rai, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, for providing the isotope analyses facilities. AKB is also thankful to NGHP and IODP for providing core samples for this study. AKG thanks DST for funding under J.C. Bose fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Geology, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, 826 004, India

    Ajoy K Bhaumik, Shiv Kumar & Shilpi Ray

  2. Department of Applied Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, 826 004, India

    G K Vishwakarma

  3. Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, 33 GMS Road, Dehradun, 248 001, India

    Anil K Gupta

  4. Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 721 302, India

    Anil K Gupta

  5. Unconventional Resources Group, Keshav Dev Malviya Institute of Petroleum Exploration, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd., 9, Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun, 248 195, India

    Pushpendra Kumar

  6. Gas-Hydrate Group, CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007, India

    Kalachand Sain

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  1. Ajoy K Bhaumik
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Table 3 Carbon and oxygen isotope dataset with sample depth used in this study.
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Bhaumik, A.K., Kumar, S., Ray, S. et al. Stable carbon and oxygen isotope study on benthic foraminifera: Implication for microhabitat preferences and interspecies correlation. J Earth Syst Sci 126, 72 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-017-0840-0

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