The distribution and ecology of benthic Foraminifera and associated meiofauna in the Northeast Water Polynya, Greenland

• Main Author: Newton, Adrian Charles
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Texas A&M University 1994
• Subjects: oceanography; Major oceanography; Arctic; Greenland; Foraminifera*
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1994-THESIS-N561

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [e-mail], referencing the URI of the item. Includes bibliographical references. Abundance of living calcareous Foraminifera and associated meiofauna have been estimated from the Northeast Water Polynya. Calcareous forams (] 150 gm) represented on average 28 and 47 % of the abundance and biomass respectively of the meiofaunal size class. Their densities nearly doubled between May 30th (387 Ind. 100 CM-2) and July 24th (734 Ind. loo CM-2), supporting the idea that Foraminifera respond rapidly to seasonal or pulsed food inputs. Foraminiferal diversity was low, being dominated by a few calcareous forms: Elphidium excavatum, Melonis barleeanum, Nonionella labradorica and Islandiella spp. Low diversity in foram biofacies has previously been associated with high densities in open water shelf regions of the Arctic. Green and brown material, which we suspect were freshly settled phytodetritus, were found in numerous individuals of the dominant calcareous species to depths as great as 6 cm within the sediment. These dominant foram species, including those containing "pigments," were encountered at specific, fairly narrow depth ranges within the sediment, with maximum abundances being common below rather than at the sediment surface. Other meiofauna (nematodes, agglutinated forams and ostracods) were encountered to depths as great as 10 cm in all cores, but their greatest densities were generally confined to surface sediments. This study suggests that benthic calcareous Foraminifera are more important in Arctic ecosystems than at lower latitudes because of their ability to utilize pulses of sedimented organic matter more rapidly than their potential heterotrophic competitors.