Diversity of Planktonic Foraminifera in Deep-Sea Sediments

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Berger, Wolfgang H., Parker, Frances L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1970
• Subjects: Planktonic foraminifera
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.168.3937.1345; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.168.3937.1345

The diversity of a planktonic foraminiferal assemblage on the ocean floor depends on the state of preservation of that assemblage. As dissolution progresses, species diversity (number of species in the assemblage) decreases, but compound diversity (based on relative species abundance) first increases and then decreases; species dominance first decreases and then increases. The reason for these changes is that the species most susceptible to solution deliver more sediment to the ocean floor than do species with solution-resistant shells, possibly because the more soluble tests are produced in surface waters, where growth and production are greatest.