Short-term response of benthic foraminifera to fine-sediment depositional events simulated in microcosm

• Published in: Biogeosciences
• Main Authors: Guilhermic, Corentin, Nardelli, Maria Pia, Mouret, Aurélia, Le Moigne, Damien, Howa, Hélène
• Other Authors: Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences UMR_C 6112 (LPG), Le Mans Université (UM)-Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST), Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences - Angers (LPG-ANGERS), Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Le Mans Université (UM)-Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2023
• Subjects: [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Tidewater
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04216794; https://hal.science/hal-04216794/document; https://hal.science/hal-04216794/file/Guilhermic%20et%20al.%20-%202023%20-%20Short-term%20response%20of%20benthic%20foraminifera%20to%20fin.pdf; https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3329-2023

International audience A microcosm experiment was designed to describe how benthic foraminifera react to fine-sediment deposits varying in frequency and intensity as they may occur regularly or occasionally in coastal benthic environments, caused by discharges from (e.g.) river flooding, tidewater glacier melting in polar regions, or diverse anthropic activities linked to harbour or watershed management. The influence of seabed burial resulting from these events on the ecology of benthic ecosystems is often overlooked, and the resilience of benthic communities is poorly known. During a 51 d long experiment, a typical northeastern Atlantic intertidal foraminiferal community, mainly represented by Ammonia confertitesta and Haynesina germanica species, was subjected to two kinds of sedimentary disturbance: (1) a one-time high-volume (OHV) deposit, i.e. sediment about 3 cm thick was added at one time at the beginning of the experiment; and (2) frequent low-volume (FLV) deposits, i.e. sediment about 0.5 cm thick was added each week for 4 weeks. The geochemical environment (e.g. dissolved oxygen penetration in the sediment, salinity, temperature, and nutrient content in the supernatant water) was monitored to follow the microcosm steady state before and during the experiment. In both disturbed microcosms, H. germanica showed a significant linear decrease in abundance during the experiment, while the total abundance of foraminifera was significantly affected only by the OHV treatment, suggesting a stronger effect of a single thick deposit on standing stocks and biodiversity compared to frequent low-volume sediment supplies. Concerning the vertical migration of foraminifera after sedimentary disturbances, the two dominant species moved upwards to the water–sediment interface with migration speeds estimated to be 0.41 and 0.47 mm h−1 respectively for A. confertitesta and H. germanica. In the FLV treatment, the resilient state was already reached within 1 d following a low-thickness burial, while in the OHV, it was ...