Temporal Variability in Vertical Distributions of Live (Stained) Intertidal Foraminifera, Southern England

Research Article| January 01, 2001 TEMPORAL VARIABILITY IN VERTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF LIVE (STAINED) INTERTIDAL FORAMINIFERA, SOUTHERN ENGLAND Elisabeth Alve; Elisabeth Alve 1Department of Geology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1047 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John W. Murray John W. Murray 2School of Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, England. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Elisabeth Alve 1Department of Geology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1047 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway. John W. Murray 2School of Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, England. Publisher: Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research Received: 29 Nov 1999 Accepted: 19 Jun 2000 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-264X Print ISSN: 0096-1191 © 2001 Journal of Foraminiferal Research Journal of Foraminiferal Research (2001) 31 (1): 12–24. https://doi.org/10.2113/0310012 Article history Received: 29 Nov 1999 Accepted: 19 Jun 2000 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Elisabeth Alve, John W. Murray; TEMPORAL VARIABILITY IN VERTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF LIVE (STAINED) INTERTIDAL FORAMINIFERA, SOUTHERN ENGLAND. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 2001;; 31 (1): 12–24. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/0310012 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyJournal of Foraminiferal Research Search Advanced Search Abstract The temporal variability (over 27 months) in abundance, depth of life in the sediment, and species diversity of hard-shelled, live (stained) foraminifera in an intertidal area has been determined. Throughout the investigation period, the same three species (Haynesina germanica, Ammonia beccarii (tepida), Elphidium excavatum) were dominant at the two investigated stations, the maximum abundance of all species (dominant and subsidiary) was in the surface 0.25 cm, and there was a general lack of seasonal change in the vertical distribution of the foraminifera. Seasonality does not seem to be a controlling factor for the vertical distribution of individuals in this area and none of the foraminifera showed high subsurface abundances. Because of the difference in depth position of the redox boundary within the sediment (often 1 cm) and the maximum abundance of individuals (surface 0.25 cm) the former cannot be the main factor limiting their vertical distribution of abundance. The generally high dominance of individuals in the surface few millimeters is probably related to the presence there of microalgal food and limited burrowing activity of the sparse macrofauna. Subsidiary species colonized the area ephemerally, thus the number of species recorded varied from one season to another. The minimum and maximum number of species found at any single sampling event were 5 and 22, whereas the cumulative number of stained species found throughout the investigation period was 35 (plus at least three soft-shelled forms). Species diversity is one of the principal univariate methods used to assess both natural variability and possible human impacts. The large natural seasonal variability demonstrated here suggests that caution should be taken in assessing the significance of diversity changes when based on occasional sampling only. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.