Cenozoic deep-sea benthic foraminifers: Tracers for changes in oceanic productivity?

Research Article| April 01, 1996 Cenozoic deep-sea benthic foraminifers: Tracers for changes in oceanic productivity? Ellen Thomas; Ellen Thomas 1Center for the Study of Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109, and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06459-0139 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Andrew J. Gooday Andrew J. Gooday 2Southampton Oceanography Centre, Empress Dock, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Ellen Thomas 1Center for the Study of Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109, and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06459-0139 Andrew J. Gooday 2Southampton Oceanography Centre, Empress Dock, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1996) 24 (4): 355–358. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<0355:CDSBFT>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Ellen Thomas, Andrew J. Gooday; Cenozoic deep-sea benthic foraminifers: Tracers for changes in oceanic productivity?. Geology 1996;; 24 (4): 355–358. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<0355:CDSBFT>2.3.CO;2 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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract From late middle Eocene through earliest Oligocene, high-latitude regions cooled, and by the end of the period, continental ice sheets existed in Antarctica. Diversity of planktonic microorganisms declined, and modern groups of terrestrial vertebrates originated. Coeval faunal changes in deep-sea benthic foraminifers have been related to cooling of deep waters and increased oxygenation. Cooling, however, occurred globally, whereas species richness declined at high latitudes and not in the tropics. The late Eocene and younger lower-diversity, high-latitude faunas typically contain common Epistominella exigua and Alabaminella weddellensis, opportunistic phytodetritus-exploiting species that indicate a seasonally fluctuating input of organic matter to the sea floor. We speculate that the species-richness gradient and increase in abundance of phytodetritus-exploiting species resulted largely from the onset of a more unpredictable and seasonally fluctuating food supply, especially at high latitudes. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.