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Light microscope (left) and SEM (right) images of some foraminiferal specimens bearing different morphological abnormalities: (1, 2) Ammonia parkinsoniana, abnormal growth of last chamber; (3–5) Elphidium crispum, aberrant chamber shape; (6) Quinqueloculina oblonga, shell blackened. Scale bar=100 μm; (3–4) scale bar=200 μm
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A study of benthic foraminifera was carried out in sediment samples collected from the central Adriatic coast of Italy, near the Ancona harbour and the Falconara Marittima oil refinery, in order to validate and support their use as bioindicators of ecosystem quality. On the basis of a principal component analysis (PCA), three biotopes (following th...
Citations
... Samir and El-Din (2001) and Burone et al. (2006) revealed a strong correlation between number of deformed tests and heavy metal concentrations, in El Mex Bay (Egypt) and Montevideo coastal area (Uruguay), since the numbers of deformed individual species increase with high concentrations of heavy metals. Capotondi et al. 2015 reported different types of morphological deformations, from some Adriatic sediments polluted by heavy metals and hydrocarbons. Similarly, Setty and Nigam (1984) reported that pollutants cause reduction in size, change in normal ornamentation, and abnormalities in test. ...
This study deals with the taxonomy and environmental implications of recent benthic foraminifers from the coast on the Susa area in northeast Libya. Six recent sediment samples were collected from the beach of the Susa area at a depth of less than 1 m. Twenty grams of each sample were weighed and processed with standard methods to extract the foraminifera. Thirty-nine species of benthic foraminifera belonging to twenty genera under the Textularina, Rotalina, Spirillinina, and Miliolina suborders were identified and systematically described. The most common genera are Amphiseigina and Textularia, which form 49.7% and 20.25% of the recorded fauna, respectively. Followed by Peneroplis (i.e., symbiont-bearing taxa) (11.6%), Quinqueloculina (4.2%), Elphidium (3.1%), Sorites (2.5%), Adelosina (1.3%), Spiroloculina (1%), and Rosalina (0.9%). Amphistegina lessonii is the most dominant species (49.7%) of the total assemblage. Textularia bocki and Peneroplis pertusus are also dominant species (13.8% and 7.8%, respectively). Environmentally, the analysis of benthic foraminifers in this study shows the effect of pollution and abnormal environmental conditions. Various diversity indices, including species richness (S), the Shannon index, the Simpson index, the Fisher alpha index, and dominance, have been investigated, and foraminiferal test abnormalities as well. The foraminifera display very low to moderate density and low diversity and frequent occurrence of abnormal specimens have been recorded. Eleven test abnormalities are described and illustrated, including (1) double apertures, (2) reduction in the size of the chambers, (3) extra chambers, (4) complex forms, (5) enlarged and deformed apertures, (6) aberrant chamber shapes, (7) twinned forms, (8) loose milliolid coiling (9) wrong coiling, (10) twisted tests and (11) corroded tests. The ecological quality status EcoQS has been evaluated for the studied stations using the Shannon-Wiener H’ (log2) indices, where station 3 has a poor EcoQS, stations 1, 2, 4, and 6 have a moderate EcoQS, and station 5 has a good EcoQS. Three types of pollutants are recognized in the study area, which are sewage, desalination plants wastewater discharge and patches of oil accumulation along the beach. The present findings are essential for enhancing Susa coast habitat conservation and management in the coming years.
... Therefore, even though the living individuals were low in numbers (0-8 in the 300 picked specimens), the quantitative analysis on foraminiferal assemblages was performed on the total (living + dead) assemblage. In addition, the lower size limit of 63 μm provides a more reliable statistical basis for paleoenvironmental studies (Capotondi et al. 2015). ...
The benthic foraminiferal community is an excellent bio-indicator of pollution in coastal and marginal marine settings. Their abundance, diversity and its relationship with environmental parameters, viz. grain size, organic carbon (Corg) and trace metals concentration, from the surface sediment layer of the southwestern shelf of the Bay of Bengal, have been used to understand the marine pollution in this study. A total of 32 surface sediment samples were collected at various water depths.The samples were analysed for grain size distribution, organic matter (OM), foraminiferal and trace metals studies. Statistical analyses such as correlation matrix, PCA (Principal Component Analysis) and cluster analysis show that the foraminiferal species composition is significantly influenced by the organic carbon (Corg), Co, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Ni concentrations. The dominance of stress-tolerant species, viz. Ammonia beccarii, Ammonia tepida, Nonion faba, Bulimina marginata, Bolivina robusta, Elphidium craticulatum and Elphidium advenum, as well as less species diversity, demonstrates the elevated Corg and trace metal pollution in the marine environment.
... This causes a rapid response to environmental changes, reflected by fluctuations in the diversity and abundance of these microorganisms, as well as morphological effects on their shells due to environmental stress conditions. They are, therefore, considered one of the groups with the highest sensitivity to coastal environment deterioration [15,16]. Thus, the rapid response of foraminifera, either at the community or morphological level due to adverse environmental conditions, occurs prior to the evidence of negative effects in more complex organisms (invertebrates and vertebrates), allowing their use as early biomarkers of environmental stress. ...
... in various studies (e.g. [16,51,65],), it had not been found to be correlated with shell abnormalities. However, the positive and significant correlation with various types of anomalies in this study was given by the affinity of V for redox environments generated in anoxic zones, typical conditions in the Mejillones Bay, where sinkholes and sediment enrichment with this metal occur, facilitating the incorporation of these ions into foraminifera shells [66], affecting the calcification process. ...
Coastal areas are often intervened by anthropic activities, which increase the contamination of toxic agents such as heavy metals. This causes adverse morphological effects on benthic microorganisms, such as foraminifera. This group is one of the most susceptible to environmental deterioration, so they can be used as pollution biomarkers by identifying shell abnormalities. Therefore, 28 sediment samples from northern Chile were analyzed, calculating the Abnormality Index-FAI and its spatio-temporal distributions in benthic foraminifera, as well as the minimum and maximum abnormality percentages and their relationship with heavy metal concentrations, using a generalized non-linear model and a principal component analysis. The results indicated a proportion of abnormal shells within the ranges described for polluted areas conditions, revealing environmental stress conditions. This reflected a change in the environmental conditions in the most recent sediments of the bay. The highest FAI values were observed to the southwest of the bay, caused by the local current system. The species Bolivina seminuda, Buliminella elegantissima, and Epistominella exigua presented a greater number of deformities, allowing them to be used as contamination biomarkers. A significant correlation was found between Ti, Mn, Ni, Va, and Ba with decreased chamber sizes, wrong coiling, scars, and number of abnormality types. This suggests the effect of the particular geochemical conditions of the area on the heavy metals that cause toxic effects on foraminifera. These analyses are an efficient tool for identifying the effects of environmental stress before they occur in higher organisms, mitigating the environmental impact on marine biodiversity.
... Dimiza et al., 2016aDimiza et al., , 2018, or the shallower areas of the Adriatic shelf (1.6-2.6; Capotondi et al., 2015). The relatively high diversity in shallow-water areas of Corfu Island and Albania could, on the one hand, be attributed to their position in the transition zone between the eastern and western Mediterranean Sea (Mouanga, 2018). ...
... Still, the specimens from these sites often exhibit a higher number of abraded shells compared to the eastern side of the island. The entire cluster A assemblage is comparable to those from northern Albania (Mouanga, 2018); silty-sandy sediments from Sicily (Guastella et al., 2019); sheltered areas from Porto Cesareo lagoon (Aiello et al., 2006); the nearshore fauna of the Adriatic shelf (Capotondi et al., 2015); or sandy areas from the Vistonikos, Thermaikos, and South Evoikos gulfs (western Aegean; Dimiza et al., 2016a). Epifaunal, hyaline taxa were also the dominant species in the Gulf of Kalloni (Lesvos; Debenay et al., 2005). ...
Corfu Island (Greece) is located in the northern Ionian Sea and
exhibits unique and diverse marine coastal habitats suitable for high-diversity assemblages such as shallow-water foraminifera. The island also
lies near the current range expansion front of the invasive species
Amphistegina lobifera. We analyzed the foraminiferal assemblages of 51 samples from 25 sites around the island, calculated diversity indices, and analyzed the community structures of foraminiferal assemblages in comparison to local environmental variables. In addition to that, using the spatial structure or relative abundances, we evaluated the effect of A. lobifera on the species richness of all
benthic foraminifera and habitat-specific groups.
With 200 benthic foraminiferal species found, the high species richness and
other diversity indices indicate Corfu as an area of high diversity. The
main ecological drivers for the assemblage compositions were water depth,
sediment texture, and habitat (especially vegetation), resulting in three main
assemblage clusters around the island: (1) sandy or rocky, shallow-water
areas from the south and west; (2) deeper areas from the west; and (3) rocky, vegetated areas of variable depths from the northwest and northeastern parts of the island.
Our analyses suggest that the invasive species A. lobifera affects local diversity of the foraminiferal assemblage and that these effects become apparent when the invasive species accounts for more than 10 %–20 % of the total abundance. We
also observed significant negative correlations with sessile epiphytes and
smaller miliolids. Both groups share similar microhabitats with A. lobifera and might
be outcompeted, which is probably further facilitated by ongoing ocean
warming. However, other warm-affiliated taxa (e.g., other symbiont-bearing
species) initially show a positive correlation with the increasing presence
of A. lobifera until the latter exceeds 20 %. We expect that A. lobifera and other warm-adapted
species will play an increasing role in shaping future biodiversity and
assemblage composition in this area, a feature that supports the prognosed
tropicalization of the Mediterranean Sea.
... The microfossil remains preserved in sediments play key roles in determining the ages of geologic records, reconstructing paleoenvironments, and monitoring modern ecosystems [1][2][3]. However, training undergraduates to identify these microfossils requires a lot of time, and most students are not exposed to micropaleontology in their courses, which limits the number of future specialists entering fields that use them [4]. ...
... Therefore, documenting and understanding the regional distribution and ecological response of foraminifera is of pivotal importance. The majority of surveys on the current distribution of benthic foraminifera have been carried out in the western part of the Adriatic Sea [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19], whereas less is known about their presence on the eastern coast [20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Here we report for the first time the distribution patterns of benthic foraminifera in the Neretva Channel, a semi-enclosed basin located along the southernmost part of the Croatian coast. ...
Benthic foraminiferal assemblages have been studied at 11 sediment surface samples located in the Neretva Channel covering the delta habitat and the adjacent open sea areas. The major objective of the investigation was to explore the main environmental parameters affecting the benthic foraminifera compositional changes. To this end, a statistical approach was applied that integrates micropaleontological data with physical, geochemical and sedimentological parameters (total organic carbon and grain size). Statistical analyses identified four distinct groups (cluster A1, A2, B1, B2) corresponding to different environmental settings. Cluster A1 groups samples under Neretva river influence and is characterized by Aubignyna perlucida, Nonionella turgida, Eggerelloides scaber and Rectuvigerina sp.; species able to live in organic-matter-rich sediments and in a wide range of oxygen content. Cluster A2 includes samples distant from the fluvial outlet and samples along the NW coast partially influenced by the Neretva river plume. In these environmental conditions, Ammonia beccarii, Bulimina marginata, Nonionella turgida and Textularia sp. resulted as the most characteristic taxa. Cluster B1 distinguishes the deepest stations which are in connection with the open Adriatic Sea. Here Asterigerinata mamilla, Buccella granulata, Cibicides group, Reussella spinulosa and Textularia sp. reach their maximum abundance associated with coarse-grained sediments. Cluster B2 groups samples collected in the inner bay of the southernmost sector of the studied area characterized by silt and clay and a negligible influence by river inputs. The benthic microfauna is principally composed of Miliolids, Porosononion granosum and Textularia sp.
... The calcareous shell of these protozoans, keeps a record of environmental stresses over time (Frontalini and Coccioni, 2008). Thus, these microorganisms are considered one of the groups with the greatest sensitivity to the deterioration of coastal environments (Capotondi et al., 2015), using them as bioindicators of environmental stress. This makes these organisms an excellent study model to evaluate the early effects of environmental stress on biota, before these negative effects are evidenced in more complex organisms (invertebrates and vertebrates). ...
Foraminifera are considered good bioindicators of environmental stress based on morphological abnormalities, but physiological responses occur far earlier and have not been evaluated as pollution markers. The aim of this review was to collate all published articles reporting physiological changes in foraminifera after environmental and anthropogenic stressors, to evaluate their reliability as early markers of environmental stress. We reviewed 70 studies, meeting the inclusion criteria, reporting 13 physiological effects classes after exposure to 17 different stressors. Immune functions, bleaching and lifecycle disruptions, were the most reported. Amphistegina and Ammonia showed high proportion of effects with lead and mercury, with a significant relationship between these heavy metals and the number of physiological effects classes in Ammonia, and between bleaching in Amphistegina gibbosa and Amphistegina lobifera with solar light and temperature. This suggests physiological responses are potentially reliable early indicators of environmental stress. It is necessary to increase quantitative physiological measures and standard exposure protocols in order to properly evaluate these organisms as pollution bioindicators.
... Quinqueloculina spp. were reported as sensitive to heavy metal concentration (Valenti et al., 2008;Foster et al., 2012) and pollutants from harbor and oil refinery (Capotondi et al., 2015). Tricoloculina spp. ...
Global coral reef decline is largely due to natural and anthropogenic stressors such as climate change-related bleaching, frequent storm damage, pollution, and overfishing. Benthic foraminifera is used as a powerful tool for environmental assessment because of its susceptibility to both physical and chemical changes in the environment. This study evaluated the abundance, diversity, and functional group composition of benthic foraminifera in Nogas Island, Philippines. The FORAM Index (FI) was used as an indicator to determine whether the environmental condition is favorable or unfavorable to the growth and recovery of calcifying mixotrophs. Similarly, the Foram Stress Index (FSI) was used to evaluate the ecological quality of sedimentary habitats according to the sensitivity and tolerance of benthic foraminifera to pollution. The foraminifera assemblage was dominated by large symbiont-bearing (94.75%) , followed by small and heterotrophic (4.0%) , and opportunistic (1.25%) taxa. The assemblages were consistently dominated by Family Calcarinidae at 76.8%, followed by Genus Amphistegina (8.0%), and Heterostegina depressa (3.5%). FI values were very high at >4.0, indicating that the current environment is suitable for the growth of corals and could support recovery from significant disturbances. The >9.0 FSI revealed that the sediment habitat is unpolluted or pristine. The results of this study showed the status of the island’s coral reef conditions and resiliency to disturbances through the use of foraminiferal indicators.
... In particular, the southern control transect was characterized by the highest organic load, and higher carbohydrate and lipid concentrations, which generally indicate a secondary origin of the organic matter (Pusceddu et al., 2009). This can be attributed to the organic enrichment caused by the nearby Esino river outflow (Capotondi et al., 2015;Bianchelli et al., 2018). ...
Present and past industrial activities in coastal areas have left us a legacy of contamination and habitat degradation with potential implications for human health. Here, we investigated a coastal marine area enclosed in a Site of National Interest (SNI) of the central-western Adriatic (Mediterranean Sea), where priority actions of environmental remediation are required by governmental laws due the high environmental and human risk, and that is off-limits to any human activity since 2002. In particular, our investigation was focused on an area located in front of a chemical industry dismissed more than 3 decades ago. We report that the concentrations of heavy-metal and organic contaminants in the investigated sediments were generally lower than those expected to induce detrimental biological effects. Meiofaunal abundance, biomass and community structure changed among stations, but regardless of the distance from the abandoned industrial plant. Taxa richness within the SNI did not change significantly compared to the controls and the lack of some taxa in the SNI transects was not due to the contamination of the SNI area. The results of this study suggest a natural recovery of the marine area over 2 decades of restrictions on human activities, including fishing and shipping bans. If the hypothesis of the natural recovery of this SNI will be further confirmed by other studies, the plans for the identification and monitoring of the most polluted areas in Italy should necessarily be redefined also in the light of the Water Framework, the Marine Strategy Framework and the Environmental Quality Standard Directives.
... Substages are named according to Railsback et al. (2015). et al., 2013) but adapt to different dissolved oxygen levels (Capotondi et al., 2015). The two species frequently occur at Site U1391 during different time intervals (Fig. 4), suggesting that nutrients and dissolved oxygen rather than substrates are the leading factors that affect the benthic foraminiferl distribution at Site U1391. ...
High-resolution foraminiferal stable isotopes and benthic foraminiferal faunal records of IODP Site U1391 drilled off the western Iberian margin were adopted to reconstruct intermediate water variability of the subtropical Northeastern Atlantic during the late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 13 and MIS 12. Five faunal turnovers were recognized based on multivariate statistical analyses of benthic foraminiferal census data from the size fraction >125 μm. The dominance of Uvigerina peregrina parva and Melonis barleeanum coincides with high benthic foraminiferal accumulation rates (BFAR), high benthic δ¹³C and the presence of dark-colour sediments during the final stage of MIS 13, also accompanied by frequent occurrences of Planulina ariminensis, an indicator of Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW), which indicates MOW-related high oxic and mesotrophic to slightly eutrophic bottom water environments. MIS 12c and MIS 12b are characterized by Bulimina mexicana assemblage, together with low BFAR, high benthic δ¹³C and the presence of light-colour sediments, revealing mesotrophic and well‑oxygenated seafloor conditions associated with the possible advection of Glacial North Atlantic Intermediate Water (GNAIW) to the studied site. A prominent increase in organic matter supply and a slight decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration during MIS 12a were reflected by more abundant Bulimina aculeata, higher BFAR, lower benthic δ¹³C and the darker-colour sediments relative to MIS 12c-b. A shift in the dominant species and significantly decreased benthic δ¹³C, suggest an increased influence of southern-sourced waters (SSW) and a decreased influence of GNAIW during MIS 12a. During the early Termination V (TV), infaunal taxa mainly composed of B. aculeata, Bulimina exilis, Nonionella turgida, Brizalina sp. and Uvigerina proboscidea dominate the benthic foraminiferal population, which may be attributed to eutrophic and poorly‑oxygenated bottom water environment strongly influenced by SSW. During the late TV, N. turgida rapidly became the predominant taxa, and its predominance was probably the result of further reduction in dissolved oxygen concentration.
