Environmental factors controlling distribution of recent Textulariid formainifera in the Arabian Gulf

Environmental factors were assessed at 51 sampling locations in the Arabian Gulf and twelve Textulariid benthic foraminifers were identified. With the use of linear regressions and the partial least squares model (PLS), the effects of six environmental variables on the distribution of foraminifera were investigated. According to the Variable Importance for Projection (VIPs), the primary regulatory factor for the Textulariid distribution is dissolved oxygen. The latter validates the value of the benthic foraminifer oxygen index (BFOI) as a reliable bioindicator for reconstructing paleooxygenation. In addition, water temperature and depth are not very important. Other factors (such as pH, salinity, and chlorophyll) don't matter at all or little at all. Additionally, correlation studies and linear regression models between the environmental parameters and the diversity of foraminifera (Shannon Index) showed that DO has low, but significant, correlation (r = 0.28, p < 0.05)., while all other value have no correlation (r < 0.2, p > 0.05). A detailed taxonomic assessment is provided.