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Distribution of live benthic Foraminifera at three oceanographically dissimilar sites in the northeast Atlantic: preliminary results

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Abstract

Live (i.e. rose Bengal stained) benthic foraminiferal assemblages in the 0–1 cm layer of multiple core samples were examined at three contrasting sites in the northeast Atlantic as part of the Natural Environment Research Council Deep Ocean Benthic Boundary Layer (BENBO) Thematic Programme. Sites A (3600 m water depth) and C (1900 m) were located in the Rockall Trough while Site B (1100 m) was in the Hatton–Rockall Basin. Wet-sorting sediment residues (>125 μm fraction) revealed more abundant (98–190 individuals/10 cm2) and diverse (71–99 species /27 cm2) assemblages than found previously in studies employing dry-sorting techniques. At all three sites, the assemblages were numerically dominated by delicate soft-bodied and agglutinated species, most of which are undescribed. Calcareous taxa formed a relatively small proportion of the assemblages (23% of individuals at Site B, 13% at Site C and 7% at Site A). Conversely, the agglutinated hormosinaceans (mainly Reophax species) became more prominent with increasing depth and accounted for 8% of the assemblage at Site B, 33% at Site C and 51% at Site A. Foraminifera represented 67–81% of the fauna in the samples and greatly outnumbered the metazoans. The assemblage at Site A has similarities with abyssal assemblages, while those at Sites B and C contain characteristic bathyal species. At Site B, Uvigerina peregrina and Melonis barleeanum are abundant, suggesting that there are high organic carbon inputs at this site. Reduced species diversity was observed at Site A following the spring phytodetritus bloom due to the presence of large numbers of juvenile Hoeglundina elegans, although it is not clear whether this species is responding to phytodetritus inputs.

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  1. J.A. Hughes
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Hughes, J., Gooday, A. & Murray, J. Distribution of live benthic Foraminifera at three oceanographically dissimilar sites in the northeast Atlantic: preliminary results. Hydrobiologia 440, 227–238 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004131413665

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