Difference between revisions of "RECENT PUBLICATIONS ON FORAMINIFERA"

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{{Recent Publications on Foraminifera Navigation}}<font size="2">
 
{{Recent Publications on Foraminifera Navigation}}<font size="2">
  
==MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF ELPHIDIIDAE==
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==MIDDLE EOCENE ABYSSAL BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA IN THE EASTERN EQUATORIAL PACIFIC==
  
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The Elphidiidae represent one of the most abundant and diversified foraminiferal family in shallow water habitats worldwide. Playing crucial roles in diverse ecosystems, they occur since the Eocene to present and are widely used for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. However, the lack of a clear taxonomic consensus led to a vast confusion concerning the relation of Elphidiidae with other rotaliids, in particular Nonionidae (''Haynesina'') and Rotaliidae (''Ammonia''). Moreover, high morphological plasticity of the test prevented the establishment of a clear definition for many species and genera of this family. Here, 66 new sequences of the SSU rRNA gene were obtained and used to build an extensive dataset including 94 complete or partial sequences of the SSU rDNA of 17 different morphospecies of ''Elphidiidae'', ''Haynesina'' and ''Ammonia''. ...... <BR/>
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We report on the faunal transition of benthic foraminifera during the middle Eocene at Site U1333 (4862 m water depth, 3,560–3,720 m paleo-water depth) of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 320 in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. ...... Based on Q-mode cluster analysis, four sample clusters were recognized and their stratigraphic distributions were generally discriminated in the lower and upper parts of the study interval. Thus, there was only a small faunal transition in the abyssal eastern equatorial Pacific during the middle to late-middle Eocene. The faunal transition recognized in this study may be related to recovery processes following intense carbonate corrosiveness in the eastern equatorial Pacific during MECO.
'''Highlights'''
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<font size="2">([http://www.psjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1666/12-107 ABSTRACT])
•Phylogenetic analysis of 17 morphospecies of Elphidiidae and their close relatives.
 
•Six highly supported clades are identified.
 
•Molecular taxonomy (SSU rDNA) shows many discrepancies with current taxonomic system.
 
•This study challenges species, genus and family level classifications.
 
•Answers to important questions regarding classification of elphidiids are proposed.
 
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000753 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Pillet, L., Voltski, I., Korsun, S., Pawlowski, J., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000753 Molecular phylogeny of Elphidiidae (foraminifera)]. Marine Micropaleontology 103, 1-14.
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----Takata, H., Nomura, R., Tsujimoto, A. and Khim, B.-K., 2013. [http://www.psjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1666/12-107 Abyssal Benthic Foraminifera in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific (IODP Exp 320) During the Middle Eocene]. Journal of Paleontology 87 (6), 1160-1185.
  
  
==SANTONIAN-CAMPANIAN PLANKTONIC FORAMINIFERA SPECIES DEPTH ECOLOGY AND PALEOCEANOGRAPHIC INFERENCES==
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==MOLECULAR EVIDENCE FOR LESSEPSIAN INVASION OF SORITIDS==
  
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The Santonian–Campanian interval is of particular interest as it encompasses a cooling trend after the Late Cretaceous greenhouse maximum warmth of the Turonian as well as a possibly related major faunal turnover among planktonic foraminifera. The recovery of pristinely preserved planktonic foraminifera from Santonian–Campanian sequences in southeastern Tanzania allows examination of faunal changes and documentation of species-specific stable isotope (δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>18</sup>O) signatures. These isotopic data are ideal for inferring species paleoecological preferences and for tracing major paleoceanographic changes. This study reports the first δ<sup>18</sup>O and δ<sup>13</sup>C data generated on “glassy” specimens of ''Marginotruncana coronata'', ''M. undulata'', ''M. marginata'', and ''M. pseudolinneiana'' and ''Sigalia carpatica''. Additional results from Shatsky Rise (Ocean Drilling Program Leg 198, Hole 1210B) and Exmouth Plateau (ODP Leg 122, Hole 762C) provide geographic control on species habitat preferences and paleoceanographic context. ......
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The Mediterranean Sea is considered as one of the hotspots of marine bioinvasions, largely due to the influx of tropical species migrating through the Suez Canal, so-called Lessepsian migrants. Several cases of Lessepsian migration have been documented recently, however, little is known about the ecological characteristics of the migrating species and their aptitude to colonize the new areas. This study focused on Red Sea soritids, larger symbiont-bearing benthic foraminifera (LBF) that are indicative of tropical and subtropical environments and were recently found in the Israeli coast of the Eastern Mediterranean. We combined molecular phylogenetic analyses of soritids and their algal symbionts as well as network analysis of Sorites orbiculus Forskål to compare populations from the Gulf of Elat (northern Red Sea) and from a known hotspot in Shikmona (northern Israel) that consists of a single population of ''S. orbiculus''. ......  
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000777# ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0077725 ABSTRACT])
  
----Falzoni, F., Petrizzo, M.R., MacLeod, K.G., Huber, B., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000777# Santonian–Campanian planktonic foraminifera from Tanzania, Shatsky Rise and Exmouth Plateau: Species depth ecology and paleoceanographic inferences]. Marine Micropaleontology 103, 15-29.
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----Merkado, G., Holzmann, M., Apothéloz-Perret-Gentil, L., Pawlowski, J., Abdu, U., Almogi-Labin, A., Hyams-Kaphzan, O., Bakhrat, A. and Abramovich, S., 2013. [http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0077725 Molecular Evidence for Lessepsian Invasion of Soritids (Larger Symbiont Bearing Benthic Foraminifera)]. PLoS ONE 8(10): e77725. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0077725
  
  
==DO FORAMINIFERA MIRROR DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS OF MACROBENTHIC FAUNA IN AN ARCTIC FJORD?==
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==FLEXIBILITY IN SYMBIOTIC PARTNERSHIPS ALONG A NATURAL TEMPERATURE GRADIENT==
  
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This paper compares the distribution and diversity patterns of benthic foraminifera (all taxa and only calcareous forms) and macrozoobenthos in an Arctic glacial fjord. The samples were collected at 22 stations located in Hornsund (west Spitsbergen). The activity of tidal glaciers located in the inner basins causes steep environmental gradients of turbidity, organic matter supply, and sediment stability. Clear differences in density, diversity and species composition were documented for both foraminifera and macrofauna between the groups of stations located in three zones along a gradient of increasing tidal glacier impact. ...... Our study provides evidence that the patterns of calcareous foraminifera density, diversity and species composition in a glacial fjord can be effective, reliable indicators of variability of these characteristics in other benthic compartments.<br/>
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Benthic foraminifera of the family Soritinae are important members of coral reef communities, contributing to carbonate deposition on coral reefs. These giant protists form photo-symbiotic associations with microalgae of the genus ''Symbiodinium''. The extent of flexibility in foraminefera-Symbiodinium partnerships is not well understood. While some studies suggest foraminifera exhibit strong specificity with regard to symbiont choice, recent work illustrated that at least a few taxa are able to host >1 symbiont type. We explored the symbiont diversity of a widely distributed soritid foraminifera (''Marginopora vertebralis''), sampling 369 individuals from 16 populations distributed across a wide latitudinal gradient (31 to 9°S) in the western Pacific Ocean using the internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2) of rDNA.  ......  
'''Highlights'''
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<font size="2">([http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v491/p33-46/ ABSTRACT])
•We compared responses of Foraminifera and macrofauna to glacial impacts.
 
•Patterns of species distribution in two groups in a glacial fjord were correlated.
 
•Species richness and density of both groups declined towards glaciers.
 
•Foraminifera can be a useful indicator of other benthic groups variability.
 
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000765 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Włodarska-Kowalczuk, M., Pawłowska, J., Zajączkowski, M., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000765 Do foraminifera mirror diversity and distribution patterns of macrobenthic fauna in an Arctic glacial fjord?]. Marine Micropaleontology 103, 30-39.
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----Momigliano, P. and Uthicke, S., 2013. [http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v491/p33-46/ Symbiosis in a giant protist (''Marginopora vertebralis'', Soritinae): flexibility in symbiotic partnerships along a natural temperature gradient]. Marine Ecology Progress Series 491, 33-46.
  
  
==HYPERSALINE BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA FROM EASTERN RED SEA: THEIR USEFULNESS IN SEA-LEVEL RECONSTRUCTION==
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==BENTHIC FORAMINIFERAL COMMUNITY CHANGES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS TO ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS IN INTERTIDAL MUDDY SEDIMENTS==
  
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[[Image:MEPS_front.jpg‎‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
The Shuaiba Lagoon is a fossil back-reef, hypersaline small basin located 80 km south of Jeddah city on the eastern Red Sea coast, Saudi Arabia. The surface sediments of the lagoon were investigated for their benthic foraminiferal content in order to correlate, in general, with environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, pH, sediment grain size, organic matter and, in particular, with tidal elevations to develop a training set for predicting sea-level changes in the lagoon. Hierarchical cluster analysis divided the benthic foraminifera in the Shuaiba Lagoon into four distinct faunal assemblages. ...... <br/>
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The temporal and vertical variability of live intertidal benthic foraminifera was studied in parallel to environmental variables such as porewater and overlying water nutrients, salinity, temperature, sedimentary pigments and organic carbon. ...... multivariate regression analysis for the whole community assemblage showed that the significant community composition changes over time in the surface layer could be related to fluctuations of several environmental variables, mainly those related to sediment food availability. The macroalgal bloom that occurred during the winter months had no detectable effect on benthic foraminiferal abundance or community patterns. Overall, the intertidal foraminiferal community in the Bay of Cádiz showed a highly dynamic character and a clear vertical distribution which could be effectively captured by studying the uppermost sediment layer at sub-centimetric vertical resolution.
'''Highlights'''
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<font size="2">([http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v490/p121-135/ ABSTRACT])
•Foraminiferal assemblages and their factors in the Shuaiba Lagoon were investigated.
 
•Each of these assemblages occupied a distinct elevational zone in the lagoon.
 
•Intertidal-high subtidal assemblages could predict the sea level change with ± 0.16 m.
 
•Low subtidal-deep water assemblages were deleterious on the TF giving a wide error.
 
•The pH controlled the distribution abundances of the symbiont-bearing assemblages.
 
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000790 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Abu-Zied, R.H., Bantan, R.A., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000790 Hypersaline benthic foraminifera from the Shuaiba Lagoon, eastern Red Sea, Saudi Arabia: Their environmental controls and usefulness in sea-level reconstruction]. Marine Micropaleontology 103, 51-67.
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----Papaspyrou, S., Diz, P., Garcia-Robiedo, E., Corzo, A. and Jimenez-Arias, J.-L., 2013. [http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v490/p121-135/ Benthic foraminiferal community changes and their relationship to environmental dynamics in intertidal muddy sediments (Bay of Cádiz, SW Spain)]. Marine Ecology Progress Series 490, 121-135.
  
  
==MOLECULAR AND ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION OF FORAMINIFERAL ORGANIC LININGS==
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==FORAMINIFERA AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY OF MIOCENE ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE GULF OF SUEZ, EGYPT==
  
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Fossil remnants of benthic foraminifera consist of carbonate tests and their organic linings. The macromolecular and stable isotopic composition of these benthic foraminiferal organic linings was characterized to evaluate their potential use as paleoclimate proxies. Using Curie point pyrolysis–GC–MS (Py–GC–MS) we show that benthic foraminiferal organic linings consist of protein and polysaccharides, bound together in a complex macromolecular structure. ...... <BR/>
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Stratigraphical studies of Miocene exposures on the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez (Wadi Gharandal, Wadi Baba and Wadi Feiran) reveals conspicuous vertical and lateral facies variations due to syngenetic tectonic activity related to rifting. Studied samples include 88 species of foraminifera (39 planktonics and 49 benthonics). Six planktonic biozones (M2-M7) were distinguished. The sequence statigraphical investigation of the Burdigalian to Serravallian succession reveals six third-order depositional sequences, bounded by physical unconformity surfaces reflecting phases of sub-aerial exposure, deposition of alluvial fans, polymictic conglomerates, evaporites and the presence of a faunal break, which could be correlated within and outside Egypt. These sequence boundaries are primarily related to regional tectonism associated with rifting or related to eustatic sea-level fluctuations.
'''Highlights'''
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<font size="2">([http://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/268/79915/Fusulinid_zonation_of_the_Late_Moscovian_Early_Sak ABSTRACT])
•The organic linings of benthic foraminifera consist of complex mixture of polysaccharide and protein based macromolecules.
 
•The stable carbon isotopic composition of foraminiferal linings reflects the foraminiferal food source.
 
•The oxygen isotopic composition of the linings potentially allows reconstructing seawater oxygen isotopes.
 
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000741# ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Ní Fhlaithearta, S., Ernst, S.R., Nierop, K.G.J., de Lange, G.J., Reichart, G.-J., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000741# Molecular and isotopic composition of foraminiferal organic linings 103, 69-78.
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----Heywaidy, A.G.A., Farouk, S., Ayyad, H.M., 2013.[http://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/270/81041/Foraminifera_and_sequence_stratigraphy_of_Burdigal Foraminifera and sequence stratigraphy of Burdigalian – Serravallian successions on the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez, southwestern Sinai, Egypt]. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 270(2), 151-170.  
  
  
==DISTRIBUTION OF BENTHIC FORAMINIFERS OF THE BASQUE SHELF==
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==PALEOVARSOVIELLA AND PALEOVARSOVIELLINAE, NEW NAMES FOR THE FORAMINIFERAL GENUS ''Varsoviella'', AND SUBFAMILY VARSOVIELLINAE==
 
 
<font size="2">
 
We describe the spatial distribution of recent benthic foraminifer assemblages from the western area of the Basque shelf in relation with some environmental parameters. A total of 138 species have been identified, being the most abundant Cassidulina laevigata, Gaudryina rudis, Lobatula lobatula, Rosalina globularis and Textularia sagittula. Multivariate analyses (cluster Q-type and Detrended and Canonical Correspondence Analysis) performed with the benthic foraminifers of these samples show the separation of two main groups of species related with the sediment grain size: (1) coarse to very coarse sand and (2) medium sand and sandy silt. Seven clusters are characterised by their typical foraminifer assemblage and average values of particular parameters: clay-silt content of the sediment, depth, and percentage of foraminifer species indicative of hypoxia. The main features of marine currents of the area are reflected by these foraminifer assemblages. ......
 
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278434313002458 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Martínez-García, B., Pascual, A., Rodríguez-Lázato, J., Bodego, A., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278434313002458 Recent benthic foraminifera of the Basque continental shelf (Bay of Biscay, northern Spain: Oceanographic implication)]. Continental Shelf Research 66(1), 105-122.
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More than two decades ago, Gawor-Biedowa (1987) described a number of benthic foraminifers from Late Cretaceous deposits in Poland. At that time she proposed a new genus ''Varsoviella'', although this name was already preoccupied by the validly named rhabdocoel flatworm ''Varsoviella'' Gieysztor and Wiszniewski, 1947 ......  
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<font size="2">([http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/464.extract ABSTRACT])
  
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----Van Steenkiste, N. and Artois, T., 2013. [http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/464.extract ''Paleovarsoviella'' and Paleovarsoviellinae, new names for the foraminiferal genus ''Varsoviella'' Gawor-Biedowa, 1987, and subfamily Varsoviellinae Gawor-Biedowa, 1987]. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 43 (4), 464.
  
==BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE UPPER ALBIAN-UPPER CENOMANIAN OF THE TATRA MASSIF, CARPATHIANS==
 
  
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==APTIAN–ALBIAN PLANKTIC FORAMINIFERA FROM DSDP SITE 364 (OFFSHORE ANGOLA)==
The foraminiferal and radiolarian biostratigraphy of selected sections of the Zabijak Formation, the youngest sediments of the Tatra massif (Central Western Carpathians), have been studied. Benthic foraminifers, mainly agglutinated species, occur abundantly and continuously throughout the studied succession, while planktic foraminifers are generally sparse. Five planktic and two benthic foraminiferal zones have been recognized. The marly part of the Zabijak Formation comprises the ''Pseudothalmanninella ticinensis'' (Upper Albian) through the ''Rotalipora cushmani'' (Upper Cenomanian) planktic foraminiferal zones, and the ''Haplophragmoides nonioninoides'' and ''Bulbobaculites problematicus'' benthic foraminiferal zones. The radiolarians were recognized exclusively in the Lower Cenomanian part of the formation.
 
<font size="2">([http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/agp.2013.63.issue-2/agp-2013-0009/agp-2013-0009.xml ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Bąk, K., Bąk, M., 2013. [http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/agp.2013.63.issue-2/agp-2013-0009/agp-2013-0009.xml Foraminiferal and radiolarian biostratigraphy of the youngest (Late Albian through Late Cenomanian) sediments of the Tatra massif, Central Western Carpathians]. Acta Geologica Polonica 63(2), 223-238f.
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This work presents a taxonomic, biostratigraphic and paleoecological study of planktic foraminifera recovered from the Aptian–Albian carbonate-dominated succession of Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Site 364, located in the Kwanza Basin (offshore Angola). Twenty-nine planktic foraminiferal species were identified, enabling the identification of late Aptian–late Albian biozones, from the ''Hedbergella trocoidea'' Zone to the ''Pseudothalmanninella ticinensis'' Zone.  ......
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<font size="2">([http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/443.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
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----Kochhann, K.G.D, Koutsoukos, E.A.M., Fauth, G. and Sial, A.N., 2013. [http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/443.abstract Aptian–Albian planktic foraminifera from DSDP Site 364 (Offshore Angola): Biostratigraphy, paleoecology, and paleoceanographic signicifance]. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 43 (4), 443-463.
  
==ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES DURING THE PETM IN SPITSBERGEN==
 
  
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==ECOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION OF RECENT DEEP-WATER FORAMINIFERA AROUND NEW ZEALAND==
The study deals with environmental changes during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) and its background conditions in Spitsbergen through analysis of benthic foraminiferal assemblages (FA) in a section drilled in the Paleogene Central Basin. The impact of this extreme global warming occurs here in prodelta shelf mudstones composing the lower part of the Gilsonryggen Member (Frysjaodden Formation). The start of the PETM perturbation is marked by a faunal turnover, in which the medium-diversity circumpolar ''Reticulophragmium'' assemblage was replaced by a low-diversity ''Trochammina'' fauna. During the hyperthermal period, benthic foraminiferal diversity decreased severely, while the dominance of small-sized taxa with epifaunal morphology strongly increased. This low-diversity fauna occurs in sediments with a reduced thorium/uranium ratio (proxy for oxygenation) and kaolinite enrichment (proxy for high humidity). The faunal changes were thus caused by the combined effects of hypoxic and hyposaline conditions in a stratified water column, due to extreme warming with its accompanying intensified hydrologic cycle. ......
 
<font size="2">([http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/19737 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Nagy, J., Jargvoll, D., dypvik, H., Hochmann, M., Riber, L., 2013. [http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/19737 Environmental changes during the Paleocene—Eocene Thermal Maximum in Spitsbergen as reflected by benthic foraminifera]. Polar Research 32, 19737, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/polar.v32i0.19737.  
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Census counts (>63 μm) of 461 species in 361 samples are used as the basis for recognizing and mapping associations of deep-sea benthic foraminifera (50–5000-m depth) around New Zealand, southwest Pacific (28–60°S, 155°E–170°W). Fourteen faunal associations are identified by cluster analysis with five of these subdivided into 20 subassociations. ...... A major reason for this study was to understand the environmental drivers of foraminiferal faunal distribution in this region to assist in paleoenvironmental interpretations of fossil faunas which have a significant regional character. Canonical correspondence analysis indicates that the distribution of bathyal and abyssal associations is more strongly influenced by depth-related variables, while shallower associations are influenced by latitude-related differences in surface-water characteristics. ...... Environmental variables related to bottom-current strength appear to drive the faunal composition of three associations at shelf and bathyal depths. Cluster analysis enables the recognition of 22 anomalously deep faunas that are inferred to have a significant displaced content. There are no significant diversity trends correlated with depth, but species diversity decreases with increasing latitude at all depths.
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<font size="2">([http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/415.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
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----Hayward, B.W., Sabaa, A.T., Grenfell, H.R., Neil, H. and Bostock, H., 2013. [http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/415.abstract Ecological distribution of recent deep-water foraminifera around New Zealand]. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 43 (4), 415-442.
  
==THE ROLE OF FORAMINIFERA IN THE BENTHIC NITROGEN CYCLE OF THE PERUVIAN OMZ==
 
  
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==WEIGHT LOSS AND ELIMINATION OF PLANKTONIC FORAMINIFERAL TESTS IN A DISSOLUTION EXPERIMENT==
The discovery that foraminifera are able to use nitrate instead of oxygen as an electron acceptor for respiration has challenged our understanding of nitrogen cycling in the ocean. It was thought before that only prokaryotes and some fungi are able to denitrify. Rate estimates of foraminiferal denitrification have been very sparse and limited to specific regions in the oceans, not comparing stations along a transect of a certain region. Here, we present estimates of benthic foraminiferal denitrification rates from six stations at intermediate water depths in and below the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Foraminiferal denitrification rates were calculated from abundance and assemblage composition of the total living fauna in both surface and subsurface sediments, as well as from individual species specific denitrification rates. ......
 
<font size="2">([http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/4767/2013/bg-10-4767-2013.html ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Glock, N., Schönfeld, J., Eisenhauer, A., Hensen, C., Mallon, J., Sommer, S., 2013. [http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/4767/2013/bg-10-4767-2013.html The role of benthic foraminifera in the benthic nitrogen cycle of the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone]. Biogeosciences 10, 4767-4783.
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Their ubiquitous distribution and common occurrence in marine sediments make planktonic foraminiferal tests an ideal archive of past physical conditions of the upper oceans. However, their tests are prone to dissolution, especially in the deep sea. Their species-dependent removal from sediments is well-recorded, and is exhibited by the absence of some species after complete test disintegration, while others still remain. In order to further understand the dissolution process of planktonic foraminiferal calcite, we treated tests of ''Globorotalia cult rata'', ''Globigerinoides ruber'', and ''Neogloboquadrina dutertrei'' (315–355 μm intermediate diameter) with a weak buffered acetic acid. ......
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<font size="2">([http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/406.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
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----Regenberg, M., Schröder, J.F., Jonas, A.-S., Woop, C. and Gorski, L., 2013. [http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/406.abstract Weight loss and elimination of planktonic foraminiferal tests in a dissolution experiment]. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 43 (4), 406-414.
  
==A GIANT FORAMINIFER THAT CONVERGES TO THE FEEDING STRATEGY OF CARNIVOROUS SPONGES==
 
  
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==SYSTEMATIC TAXONOMY OF EARLY–MIDDLE MIOCENE PLANKTONIC FORAMINIFERA FROM THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC OCEAN==
The foraminifer ''Spiculosiphon oceana'' sp. nov. is a giant (>4 cm) agglutinated astrorhizid, which makes the second known species of this unusual genus and its first Mediterranean record. It has a peculiar stalked, capitate, monothalamous test. Bleach digestion and X-ray microanalysis indicated the test to be made exclusively of siliceous sponge spicules agglutinated in organic cement. The organism stands on a hollow, 4 cm long, 0.5 cm thick stalk built with highly selected, long and thin spicule fragments, tightly cemented together in parallel to the main axis of the stalk. ...... ''Spiculosiphon'' species collect and arrange sponge spicules with high selectivity to recreate a body morphology that strongly converges to that of some carnivorous sponges, which allows these predatory foraminifera to exploit a prey capturing strategy similar to that of the carnivorous sponges. This idea is also consistent with our report of an additional, yet undetermined, ''Spiculosiphon'' species occurring in the same sublittoral Mediterranean cave where carnivorous sponges were first discovered.
 
<font size="2">([http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/19737 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Maldonado, M., López-Acosta, M., Sitja, C., Aguilar, R., García, S., Vavelet, J., 2013. [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/z03669p584f.pdf A giant foraminifer that converges to the feeding strategy of carnivorous sponges: ''Spiculosiphon oceana'' sp. nov. (Foraminifera, Astrorhizida)]. Zootaxa 3669(4), 571-584.
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[[Image:JFR_cover.gif‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 320/321 at Site U1338 (equatorial Pacific Ocean) recovered lower–middle Miocene (17–13.5 Myr) sediments containing unusually well-preserved and diverse planktonic foraminifera. Previous taxonomic study of planktonic foraminifera from this interval in the eastern Pacific Ocean has been hindered by the absence of biogenic carbonate. Here we present a taxonomic analysis of these foraminifera, including wall textures and species variability, supported by scanning electron micrographs. Specimens exhibit open pore spaces, little evidence of calcitic overgrowth on the wall surface, and in many cases spines. Fifty-five species are recorded, including ''Dentoglobigerina juxtabinaiensis'' n. sp. Dominant genera include ''Paragloborotalia'' and ''Globigerinoides'' with common ''Dentoglobigerina''.
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<font size="2">([http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/374.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
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----Fox, L.R. and Wade, B.S., 2013. [http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/374.abstract Planktonic foraminifera from the equatorial Pacific Ocean: Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, Site U1338]. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 43 (4), 374-405.
  
==FORAMINIFERAL INFLUENCES ON MICROFABRICS OF MICROBIALITES==
 
  
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==FORAMINIFERAL RECORD OF SURFACE PRODUCTIVITY CHANGES DURING THE CONSTRICTION AND CLOSURE OF THE CENTRAL AMERICAN SEAWAY==
...... Considerable knowledge exists about prokaryotic composition of microbialite mats (i.e., stromatolitic and thrombolitic mats), but little is known about their eukaryotic communities, especially regarding heterotrophic taxa. Thus, the heterotrophic eukaryotic communities of Highborne stromatolites and thrombolites were studied. Here, we show that diverse foraminiferal communities inhabit microbialite mat surfaces and subsurfaces; thecate foraminifera are relatively abundant in all microbialite types, especially thrombolitic mats; foraminifera stabilize grains in mats; and thecate reticulopod activities can impact stromatolitic mat lamination. Accordingly, and in light of foraminiferal impacts on modern microbialites, our results indicate that the microbialite fossil record may reflect the impact of the radiation of these protists.
 
  
<font size="2">([http://www.pnas.org/content/110/24/9830.short ABSTRACT])
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[[Image:JFR_cover.gif‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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We investigated middle Miocene–Pleistocene deep-sea benthic foraminifera from IODP Hole U1338B in the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP). Starting at ~12 Ma, periodic constriction and closure of the Central American Seaway and resulting productivity fluctuations led to distinct changes in benthic foraminiferal composition at 9.5, 5.6–5, 4.5, and 2.1 Ma in the EEP. A temporal increase in high-productivity taxa, known as the late Miocene–early Pliocene “biogenic bloom,” produced a high organic flux to the seafloor from 6.4–5.4 Myr. Our results suggest that, while overall productivity increased at that time, seasonal inputs of phytodetritus did not until after 4.5 Ma, when upwelling, recognized by an abrupt rise in ''Epistominella exigua'', increased during another constriction of the Central American Seaway, marking the beginning of modern oceanographic conditions in the EEP. Although foraminiferal diversity increased during the late Miocene–early Pliocene biogenic bloom, it was not enhanced by the high phytodetrital input from 4.5–3 Myr.
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<font size="2">([http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/361.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
----Bernhard, J.M., Edgcomb, V.P., Visscher, P.T., McIntyre-Wressnig, A., Summons, R.E., Bouxsein, M.L., Louis, L., Jeglinski, M., 2013. [http://www.pnas.org/content/110/24/9830.short Insights into foraminiferal influences on microfabrics of microbialites at Highborne Cay, Bahamas]. PNAS, 110(24), 9830-9834.
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----Tsujimoto, A., Nomura, R., Takata, H. and Kimoto, K., 2013. [http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/361.abstract A deep-sea benthic foraminiferal record of surface productivity changes during the constriction and closure of the Central American Seaway: IODP Hole U1338B, eastern equatorial Pacific]. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 43 (4), 361-373.  
  
  
==THE FORAMINIFERA FROM THE BAZARUTO ARCHIPELAGO (MOZAMBIQUE)==
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==BENTHIC FORAMINIFERAL DISTRIBUTION FROM A PERMANENTLY STRATIFIED MARGINAL SEA (MARMARA SEA, TURKEY)==
  
[[Image:NeuesJahrbuch_front.jpeg‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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[[Image:JFR_cover.gif‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
Late Moscovian-Early Sakmarian fusulinid faunas of the Anatolian Platform were examined in three stratigraphic sections (Ozbek Tepe, Eskibey and Bademli) from the Eastern and Central Taurides. Eight fusulinid zones were identified and include 1.) the ''Fusulinella'' (''Fusulinella'') ''colaniae''-''Fusiella praetypica'' concurrent range zone, 2.) the ''Fusulinella'' (''Fusulinella'') ''bocki bocki'' concurrent range zone, 3.) the ''Protriticites ovatus''-''Quasifusulinoides'' aff. ''quasifusulinoides'' concurrent range zone, 4.) the ''Protriticites pseudomontiparus''-''Obsoletes'' cf. ''obsoletes'' concurrent range zone, 5.) the ''Montiparus paramontiparus'' range zone, 6.) the ''Triticites oezbekensis''-''Rauserites subobsoletus'' concurrent range zone, 7.) the ''Daixina'' (''B''.) ex gr. ''bosbytauensis''-''Daixina'' (''D''.) ex gr. ''robusta'' range zone and 8.) the ''Zellia nunosei''-''Pseudofusulinoides instabilis''-''Pseudofusulinoides convexus'' assemblage zone.
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Detailed examination of four sediment fractions between 63–500 μm showed that benthic foraminiferal assemblages (undifferentiated living + dead) collected from 23 surface-sediment samples along the Marmara Sea coast were dominated by smaller (<250-μm) individuals, averaging 95% of the total fauna. Higher foraminiferal density, species diversity, and restricted size frequency of some species within the 63–250-μm fraction indicate that different lower sieve limits will cause a significant variation in the composition of local assemblages. ......  
<font size="2">([http://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/268/79915/Fusulinid_zonation_of_the_Late_Moscovian_Early_Sak ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/340.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
----Okuyucu, C., 2013. [http://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/268/79915/Fusulinid_zonation_of_the_Late_Moscovian_Early_Sak Fusulinid zonation of the Late Moscovian-Early Sakmarian sequences from the Taurides, southern Turkey]. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 268(3), 237-258.  
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----Kirci-Elmas, E., 2013. [http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/340.abstract Benthic foraminiferal distribution (living and dead) from a permanently stratified marginal sea (Marmara Sea, Turkey)]. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 43 (4), 340-360.  
  
  
==TAXONOMY, PHYLOGENY, AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF GENUS Involutina==
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==TAXONOMY AND PHYLOGENY OF THE TROCHOLINIDAE (INVOLUTININA)==
  
[[Image:App-cov.jpg|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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[[Image:JFR_cover.gif‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
Early Jurassic aragonitic foraminifers are outstandingly well-preserved in the Marmorea crust, a multiphased ferromanganese layer limiting the Schnöll and Adnet formations (Adnet, Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria). This remarkable preservation, related to the pervasive impregnation of aragonitic tests prior to their recrystallization, allowed observing unknown diagnostic features of the genus ''Involutina'', which typifies the Suborder Involutinina. Thanks to a detailed examination of the Adnet specimens, this paper clarifies the taxonomy, systematic position, and phylogeny of ''Involutina''. ......
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Exceptionally well-preserved trochospirally coiled Involutinina have been found in Late Triassic (Wallowa Mountains, Oregon, U.S.A.) and Early Jurassic (northern Calcareous Alps, Austria) carbonate rocks. Their remarkable preservation, related to impregnation of the test prior to recrystallization, allowed us to observe features usually obliterated by diagenetic and metamorphic processes. This paper provides a revision of the morphology, structure, systematic position, phylogeny, and stratigraphic range of the family Trocholinidae Kristan-Tollmann. New criteria permitting the distinction between trocholinid genera, even in cases of intense recrystallization, are presented. An identification key and a new, monophyletic tree are proposed for the whole family. ......  
<font size="2">([http://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app20120056.html ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/317.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
----Rigaud, S., Blau, J., Martini, R., Rettori, R., in press. [http://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app20120056.html Taxonomy, phylogeny, and functional morphology of the foraminiferal genus ''Involutina'']. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4202/app.2012.0056.  
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----Rigaud, S., Blau, J., Martini, R. and Rettori R., 2013. [http://jfr.geoscienceworld.org/content/43/4/317.abstract Taxonomy and phylogeny of the Trocholinidae (Involutinina)]. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 43 (4), 317-339.  
  
  
==MIDDLE MIOCENE WARM-TEMPERATE CARBONATES OF CENTRAL PARATETHYS (MT. ZRINSKA GORA, CROATIA): PALEOENVIRONMENTAL RECONSTRUCTION==
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==CALCIFICATION INTENSITY IN PLANKTONIC FORAMINIFERA REFLECTS AMBIENT CONDITIONS IRRESPECTIVE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS==
  
Carbonate deposits from Zrin in the Mt. Zrinska Gora were deposited in the SW part of the Central Paratethys Sea during the Middle Badenian (Middle Miocene). The studied section contains a rich fossil community of non-geniculate coralline red algae (Subfamily Melobesioideae), bryozoans, benthic and planktonic foraminifera, echinoderms, ostracods, molluscs, and calcareous nannoplankton. Based on lithological variations and changes in the biogenic components, four facies associations (FA) are distinguished. Their distribution points to skeletal production and sedimentation on a middle to proximal outer carbonate ramp. The main lithological feature of the section is an alternation of two lithofacies: fully lithified grainstone–rudstone and packstone, and semi-lithified rudstone–floatstone with a carbonate sandy matrix. ......
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[[Image:Biogeosciences_front.jpg‎‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
<font size="2">([http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10347-012-0327-z ABSTRACT])
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...... The amount of calcite deposited by planktonic Foraminifera during calcification has been hypothesized to reflect a range of environmental factors. However, it has never been assessed whether their calcification only passively responds to the conditions of the ambient seawater or whether it reflects changes in resource allocation due to physiological stress. To disentangle these two end-member scenarios, an experiment is required where the two processes are separated. A natural analogue to such an experiment occurred during the deposition of the Mediterranean sapropels, where large changes in surface water composition and stratification at the onset of the sapropel deposition were decoupled from local extinctions of planktonic Foraminifera species. We took advantage of this natural experiment and investigated the reaction of calcification intensity, expressed as mean area density (MAD), of four species of planktonic Foraminifera to changing conditions during the onset of Sapropel S5 (126–121 ka) in a sediment core from the Levantine Basin. ...... These results indicate that the high-salinity environment of the glacial Mediterranean Sea prior to sapropel deposition induced more intense calcification, whereas the freshwater injection to the surface waters associated with sapropel deposition inhibited calcification. The results are robust to changes in carbonate preservation and collectively imply that changes in normalized shell weight in planktonic Foraminifera should reflect mainly abiotic forcing.
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<font size="2">([http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/6639/2013/bg-10-6639-2013.html ABSTRACT])
  
----Martinuš, M., Fio, K., Pikelj, K., Aščić, Š., 2013. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10347-012-0327-z Middle Miocene warm-temperate carbonates of Central Paratethys (Mt. Zrinska Gora, Croatia): paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on bryozoans, coralline red algae, foraminifera, and calcareous nannoplankton]. Facies, 59(3), 481-504.  
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----Weinkauf, M.F.G., Moller, T., Koch, M.C. and Kučera, M., 2013. [http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/6639/2013/bg-10-6639-2013.html Calcification intensity in planktonic Foraminifera reflects ambient conditions irrespective of environmental stress]. Biogeosciences 10, 6639-6655.  
  
  
==TRACE ELEMENT POLLUTION - THE CASE STUDY OF THE GULF OF MILAZZO, NE SICILY==
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==EFFECT OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON ''Ammonia'' sp.==
  
The response of benthic foraminiferal assemblages to trace element pollution in the marine sediments of the Gulf of Milazzo (north-eastern Sicily) was investigated. Since the 1960s, this coastal area has been a preferred site for the development of two small marinas and a commercial harbour as well as for heavy industry. Forty samples collected in the uppermost 3–4 cm of an undisturbed layer of sediment in the littoral environment were used for this benthic foraminiferal analysis. The enrichment factors (EFs) of selected trace elements (As, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were also calculated. Changes both in benthic foraminiferal assemblages and in some trace elements concentrations have provided evidence that the gulf’s littoral zone can be subdivided into three sectors characterised by environmental changes in the marine ecosystem. ...... Deformed foraminifera, with percentages up to 7.14 %, were found in all three of the sectors. Differences in benthic foraminiferal assemblages, coupled with results from statistical analysis, indicate that anthropogenic trace element pollution could be considered as one of the most important causes of the modifications of foraminiferal assemblages in the study area.
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[[Image:Biogeosciences_front.jpg‎‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
<font size="2">([http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-013-3292-2 ABSTRACT])
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About 30% of the anthropogenically released CO<sub>2</sub> is taken up by the oceans; such uptake causes surface ocean pH to decrease and is commonly referred to as ocean acidification (OA). Foraminifera are one of the most abundant groups of marine calcifiers, estimated to precipitate ca. 50 % of biogenic calcium carbonate in the open oceans. We have compiled the state of the art literature on OA effects on foraminifera, because the majority of OA research on this group was published within the last three years. Disparate responses of this important group of marine calcifiers to OA were reported, highlighting the importance of a process-based understanding of OA effects on foraminifera. We cultured the benthic foraminifer ''Ammonia'' sp. under a range of carbonate chemistry manipulation treatments to identify the parameter of the carbonate system causing the observed effects. This parameter identification is the first step towards a process-based understanding. We argue that [CO<sub>3</sub><sup>2−</sup>] is the parameter affecting foraminiferal size-normalized weights (SNWs) and growth rates. Based on the presented data, we can confirm the strong potential of ''Ammonia'' sp. foraminiferal SNW as a [CO<sub>3</sub><sup>2−</sup>] proxy.
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<font size="2">([http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/6185/2013/bg-10-6185-2013.html ABSTRACT])
  
----Cosentino, C., Pepe, F., Scopelliti, G., Calabrò, M., Caruso, A., 2013. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-013-3292-2 Benthic foraminiferal response to trace element pollution—the case study of the Gulf of Milazzo, NE Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea)]. Environmental Monitoring and Assessmet, doi:10.1007/s10661-013-3292-2
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----Keul, N., Langer, G., de Nooijer, L.J. and Bijma, J., 2013. [http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/6185/2013/bg-10-6185-2013.html Effect of ocean acidification on the benthic foraminifera Ammonia sp. is caused by a decrease in carbonate ion concentration]. Biogeosciences 10, 6185-6198.  
  
  
==THE LITTLE ICE AGE: EVIDENCE FROM A SEDIMENT RECORD IN GULLMAR FJORD, SWEDEN==
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==MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDY OF RARELY RECOVERED PARTS OF DEEP-SEA SANTONIAN-CAMPANIAN TRANSITION==
  
[[Image:Biogeosciences_front.jpg‎ ‎‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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<font size="2">
We discuss the climatic and environmental changes during the last millennium in NE Europe based on a ca. 8-m long high-resolved and well-dated marine sediment record from the deepest basin of Gullmar Fjord (SW Sweden). According to the <sup>210</sup>Pb- and <sup>14</sup>C-datings, the record includes the period of the late Holocene characterised by anomalously cold summers and well-known as the Little Ice Age (LIA). Using benthic foraminiferal stratigraphy, lithology, bulk sediment geochemistry and stable carbon isotopes we reconstruct various phases of the cold period, identify its timing in the study area and discuss the land–sea interactions occurring during that time. The onset of the LIA is indicated by an increase in cold-water foraminiferal species ''Adercotryma glomerata'' at ~ 1350 AD The first phase of the LIA was characterised by a stormy climate and higher productivity, which is indicated by a foraminiferal unit of ''Nonionella iridea'' and ''Cassidulina laevigata''. ......  
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The Cretaceous deep-sea record of the Santonian–Campanian transition is commonly interrupted by an extensive unconformity (representing <10 Myr of hiatus). The resultant palaeoceanographic gap can now be partly bridged by a recent short core of pelagic ooze from Shatsky Rise (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1348), with precise multidisciplinary age constraints developed herein. New oxygen isotope data from very well-preserved benthic foraminifera, together with accurately compiled comparable benthic data from previous Pacific deep-sea sections, exhibit a large (c. +1‰) early Campanian shift. We propose the Santonian–Campanian climatic transition was not gradual but was the first major cooling step after sustained mid-Cretaceous hothouse conditions.
<font size="2">([http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/1275/2013/bg-10-1275-2013.html ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/170/3/381.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
----Asteman, I.P., Nordberg, K., Filipsson, H.L., 2013. [http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/1275/2013/bg-10-1275-2013.html The Little Ice Age: evidence from a sediment record in Gullmar Fjord, Swedish west coast]. Biogeosciences 10, 1275-1290.
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----Ando, A., Woodard, S.C., Evans, H.F., Littler, K., Herrmann, S., Macleod, K.G., Kim, S., Khim, B.-K., Robinson, S.A. and Huber, B.T., 2013. [http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/170/3/381.abstract An emerging palaeoceanographic ‘missing link’: multidisciplinary study of rarely recovered parts of deep-sea Santonian–Campanian transition from Shatsky Rise]. Journal of the Geological Society 170 (5), 381-384.
  
  
==TIMING AND SIZE SELECTIVITY OF THE GUADALUPIAN FUSULINOIDEAN EXTINCTION==
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==THE CRETACEOUS-TERTIARY BOUNDARY TRANSITION IN NE BRAZIL==
  
[[Image:Journal_Of_Paleontology_cover.jpg‎‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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<font size="2">
A comprehensive, high resolution stratigraphic database of fusulinoidean foraminifers reveals that this group of protists suffered extreme losses during the Guadalupian extinction. Most species (88%) were eliminated gradually over the course of 9 myr during the Wordian and Capitanian ages. A pulse of greatly elevated per capita extinction frequency occurred during the last million years of the Capitanian (260–259 Ma). Contrary to prevailing opinion, the end-Capitanian event did not preferentially eliminate large, morphologically complex species in the families Schwagerinidae and Neoschwagerinidae, because most species in those families were already extinct. Rather, 69 percent of the species eliminated at the end of the Capitanian were small, morphologically conservative representatives of the Ozawainellidae, Schubertellidae and Staffellidae. ...... The end-Capitanian extinction pulse might reflect environmental deterioration from the combined effects of global cooling, Emeishan effusive volcanism and sea-level lowstand.
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At 7800 km from Yucatan the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary (KTB) transition of the Poty Quarry, NE Brazil, is the most distant locality with published accounts of Chicxulub impact–tsunami deposits, impact spherules and Ir anomaly. New investigations based on sedimentology, biostratigraphy, mineralogy and geochemistry fail to confirm these reports. Latest Maastrichtian planktic foraminiferal zones CF1 below an erosive and bioturbated disconformity and early Danian zone P1a(1) above indicate a short hiatus, with the KTB clay (zone P0), the Ir anomaly and the characteristic negative δ<sup>13</sup>C excursion missing. The disconformity coincides with the globally recognized latest Maastrichtian sea-level fall. Above the disconformity, an upward-fining micro-conglomerate with abundant reworked Cretaceous foraminifera, sub-angular phosphate clasts, calcitic and phosphatic spheroids along with an early Danian zone P1a(1) assemblage is interpreted as a gravity-flow deposit. Common spheroids throughout the late Campanian–Maastrichtian appear to be chamber infillings of the benthic foraminifer ''Dentalina alternata''. Minor Ir anomalies in thin clay layers of zone Pla and no evidence of the Chicxulub impact reveal that the Poty Quarry section remains a very important example of the complex global environmental and sea-level changes observed in KT sequences from North America to Central America that are commonly misinterpreted as impact–tsunami events.
<font size="2">([http://www.psjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1666/12-076R.1 ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/170/2/249.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
----Groves, J.R., Wang, Y., 2013. [http://www.psjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1666/12-076R.1 Timing and Size Selectivity of the Guadalupian (Middle Permian) Fusulinoidean Extinction]. Journal of Paleontology 87 (2), 183-196.
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----Gertsch, B., Keller, G., Adatte, T. and Berner, Z., 2013. [http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/170/2/249.abstract The Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary (KTB) transition in NE Brazil]. Journal of the Geological Society 170 (5), 249-262.
  
  
==THE OLDEST RECORD OF A BORING FORAMINIFER==
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==THE PHYLOGENETIC AND PALAEOGEOGRAPHIC EVOLUTION OF MIOGYPSINIDS==
  
[[Image:Lethaia_Cover.gif‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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<font size="2">
The bioeroding foraminifer ''Troglotella incrustans'' Wernli and Fookes (''Bolletino della Societa Paleontologica Italiana ''31, 1992, 95), is widely reported from Bajocian?, and Oxfordian to Lower Cenomanian (with a Late Jurassic acme) shallow-water limestones of the Tethyan realm. A single specimen of a boring foraminifer, assigned to ''T. incrustans'', has now been observed from the Lower Permian (Sakmarian) Community Pit Formation of the Doña Ana Mountains, New Mexico, USA. Surviving the end-Permian mass extinction, T. incrustans might be a Lazarus taxon that persisted in refuges. This finding represents the oldest record of a foraminifer exhibiting an euendolithic way of life. Boring foraminifera have not been previously recorded from strata older than the Jurassic. Boring traces of potentially foraminiferan origin, however, have been already reported from the Lower Carboniferous (?Ordovician).
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Access to new material from South Africa, Corsica, Cyprus, Syria and Sumatra has allowed a systematic biostratigraphic comparison and correlation of the miogypsinids from the Mediterranean–West Africa and the Indo-Pacific provinces, and for the first time from South Africa. Twelve new species have been identified ......During the Chattian and Aquitanian significant miogypsinid forms evolved in the Mediterranean from the morphologically distinct Mediterranean ''Neorotalia'' and migrated, within a few million years of their first appearance, into the Indo-Pacific, where they diversified further. The tectonically driven closure of the seaway between the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific in the Burdigalian triggered the extinction of Mediterranean miogypsinids in the Langhian. Miogypsinids survived in the Indo-Pacific into the Serravallian.
<font size="2">([http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/let.12000/abstract ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/170/1/185.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
----Schlagintweit, F., Krainer, K., Lucas, S.G., 2013. [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/let.12000/abstract The oldest record of a boring foraminifer: Early Permian of New Mexico, USA]. Lethaia 46 (2), 245-250.
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----Boudagher-Fadel, M.K. ad Price, G.D., 2013. [http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/170/1/185.abstract The phylogenetic and palaeogeographic evolution of the miogypsinid larger benthic foraminifera]. Journal of the Geological Society 170 (5), 185-208.
  
  
==BASAL FORAMINIFERA AND GROMIIDS AT THE HÅKON-MOSBY MUD VOLCANO (BARENTS SEA SLOPE)==
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==BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE YOUNGEST SEDIMENTS OF THE TATRA MASSIF, CENTRAL WESTERN CARPATHIANS==
  
 
<font size="2">
 
<font size="2">
We describe the occurrence of basal (‘primitive’) foraminifera and gromiids (a distinct taxon related to the foraminifera) in different bathyal habitats of the Håkon Mosby Mud Volcano (HMMV, Barents Sea). ...... The number of basal foraminiferal and gromiid morphospecies varied considerably from site to site. It was relatively high north of the volcano (42 morphospecies in 4 samples) and in the ‘warm centre’ (28 morphospecies in 2 samples), somewhat lower southwest of the volcano (at least 13 morphospecies in 2 samples) and in the siboglinid field (14 morphospecies in three samples), and substantially reduced in the bacterial mat area (5 morphospecies in 6 samples). ...... Saccamminid sp. 5, by far the most common species in our samples, belongs to a ‘lamp-like’ morphotype that is widely distributed in the oceans. The wall structure, and the presence of what appears to be an internal partition across the base of the neck, is reminiscent of some komokiaceans.
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The foraminiferal and radiolarian biostratigraphy of selected sections of the Zabijak Formation, the youngest sediments of the Tatra massif (Central Western Carpathians), have been studied. Benthic foraminifers, mainly agglutinated species, occur abundantly and continuously throughout the studied succession, while planktic foraminifers are generally sparse. Five planktic and two benthic foraminiferal zones have been recognized. The marly part of the Zabijak Formation comprises the ''Pseudothalmanninella ticinensis'' (Upper Albian) through the ''Rotalipora cushmani'' (Upper Cenomanian) planktic foraminiferal zones, and the ''Haplophragmoides nonioninoides'' and ''Bulbobaculites problematicus'' benthic foraminiferal zones. The radiolarians were recognized exclusively in the Lower Cenomanian part of the formation.
<font size="2">([http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12526-013-0148-5 ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://agp.org.pl/table/abstracts/63-2.htm ABSTRACT])
  
----Gooday, A.J., Kamenskaya, O.E., Soltwedel, T., in press. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12526-013-0148-5 'Basal foraminifera and gromiids (Protista) at the Håkon-Mosby Mud Volcano (Barents Sea slope)]. Marine Biodiversity, doi:10.1007/s12526-013-0148-5
+
----Bąk, K. and Bąk, M., 2013. [http://agp.org.pl/table/abstracts/63-2.htm Foraminiferal and radiolarian biostratigraphy of the youngest (Late Albian through Late Cenomanian) sediments of the Tatra massif, Central Western Carpathians]. Acta Geologica Polonica 63, 223–237.
  
  
==''Siphodinarella costata'', A NEW BENTHIC FORAMINIFER FROM THE CONIACIAN OF THE ADRIATIC CARBONATE PLATFORM==
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==NEW SUPRAORDINAL CLASSIFICATION OF FORAMINIFERA: MOLECULES MEET MORPHOLOGY==
  
<font size="2">
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[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif‎‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
A new benthic foraminifer is described as ''Siphodinarella costata'' n. gen., n. sp. from Coniacian shallow-water platform-interior carbonates of Slovenia and Croatia. The new foraminifer is found in skeletal wackestone in association with small benthic foraminifera, thaumatoporellaceans, and calcimicrobes (''Decastronema'', ''Girvanella''-type tubes). The existence of an internal siphon in ''Siphodinarella'' n. gen. is interpreted as an entosolenian tube and discussed in terms of its generic and suprageneric importance.
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The limitations of a traditional morphology-based classification of Foraminifera have been demonstrated by molecular phylogenetic studies for several years now. Despite the accumulation of molecular data, no alternative higher-level taxonomic system incorporating these data has been proposed yet. Here, we present a new supraordinal classification of Foraminifera based on an updated SSU rDNA phylogeny completed with the description of major morphological trends in the evolution of this group. According to the new system, multi-chambered orders are grouped in two new classes: [[Tubothalamea|Tubothalamea]] and [[Globothalamea|Globothalamea]]. Naked and single-chambered Foraminifera possessing agglutinated or organic-walled tests are arranged into a paraphyletic assemblage of “[[monothalamids|Monothalamids]]”. The new system maintains some multi-chambered calcareous orders, such as Rotaliida, Miliolida, Robertinida and Spirillinida, although their definitions have been modified in some cases to include agglutinated taxa. The representatives of the planktonic order Globigerinida are tentatively included in the order Rotaliida. The agglutinated Textulariida are probably paraphyletic. The position of the order Lagenida is uncertain because reliable molecular data are only available for one species. The new classification system separates orders or families, which differ in basic chamber shapes, prevailing mode of coiling and distance between successive apertures. It appears that these features correspond better to the main evolutionary trends in Foraminifera than wall composition and structure, both used in traditional classification.
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000327 ABSTRACT])
  
<font size="2">([http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10347-013-0365-1 ABSTRACT])
+
----Pawlowski, J., Holzmann, M. and Tyszka, J., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000327 New supraordinal classification of Foraminifera: Molecules meet morphology]. Marine Micropaleontology 100, 1-10.
  
----Schlagintweit, F., Husinec, A., Jež, J., in press. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10347-013-0365-1 ''Siphodinarella costata'' n. gen., n. sp., a new benthic foraminifer from the Coniacian of the Adriatic Carbonate Platform (Slovenia, Croatia)]. Facies, doi:10.1007/s10347-013-0365-1
 
  
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==A STABLE AND HOT TURONIAN WITHOUT GLACIAL ∂<sup>18</sup>O EXCURSIONS==
  
==FORAMINIFERA IN THE JURASSIC CORAL-BEARING LIMESTONES OF THE VRSATEC AREA, SLOVAK PIENINY KLIPPEN BELT==
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[[Image:Geology_cover.gif‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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A shift from the icehouse climate in which humans evolved to a Late Cretaceous–like greenhouse climate is an often-repeated cautionary prediction of the consequences of continued anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. The corollary, that understanding the past might help predict the future, has justified many Late Cretaceous studies, but important questions remain about climate stability and sensitivity. New δ<sup>18</sup>O measurements of more than 1000 samples of exceptionally well preserved foraminifera (8 planktic and 11 benthic taxa) from two sites in Tanzania indicate that hot and remarkably stable conditions prevailed in the region during the Turonian, including during a proposed greenhouse glacial event. Planktic taxa have δ<sup>18</sup>O values largely between –4.0‰ and –5.0‰, suggesting surface-water temperatures between 30 and 35 °C. Estimates for seafloor temperatures are between 18 and 25 °C. No parallel shifts in δ<sup>18</sup>O values are observed among planktic and benthic taxa, contradicting an often-cited line of evidence for greenhouse glaciations and supporting an effectively ice-free Turonian world.
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<font size="2">([http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/41/10/1083.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
[[Image:GeologicaCarpathica_front.jpg‎‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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----MacLeod, K.G., Huber, B.T., Berrocoso, Á.J. and Wendler, I., 2013. [http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/41/10/1083.abstract A stable and hot Turonian without glacial δ<sup>18</sup>O excursions is indicated by exquisitely preserved Tanzanian foraminifera]. Geology 41(10), 1083-1086.
The paper deals with benthic foraminifera occurring with the scleractinian corals in the Jurassic biohermal and peribiohermal coral-bearing limestones of the Vrsatec area (Czorsztyn Succession, Slovak Pieniny Klippen Belt). The coral community is dominated by branching forms of the genus ''Thecosmilia''. Co-occurring abundant benthic foraminifera belong to the species ''Rumanolina seiboldi'', ''R. elevata'', ''Paalzowella turbinella'' and ''Troglotella incrustans''. The coral-bearing limestones were initially assigned to the Oxfordian on the basis of the microfacies analyses and bivalve and scleractinian faunas. In recent papers they are assigned to the Bajocian on the basis of ammonites found in the neptunic dykes and stratigraphic superimposition criteria. However, the stratigraphic distribution of the majority of the identified foraminifera indicates that like most scleractinian coral taxa they are not known earlier than in the Late Jurassic. The Late Jurassic age of these coral-bearing limestones is also suggested by an encrusting microproblematic organism ''Iberopora bodeuri''.
 
<font size="2">([http://www.geologicacarpathica.sk/src/main.php ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Morycowa,  E., Olszewska, B., 2013. [http://www.geologicacarpathica.sk/src/main.php Foraminiferal assemblage in the coral-bearing limestones of the Vrsatec area (Pieniny Klippen Belt, Western Carpathians, Slovakia)]. Geologica Carpathica 64(1), 63-69.
 
  
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==TESTING THE USE OF FORAMINIFERA TO RECONSTRUCT EARTHQUAKES==
  
==CAN ABUNDANCE OF PROTISTS BE INFERRED FROM SEQUENCE DATA==
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[[Image:Geology_cover.gif‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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Coastal stratigraphy from the Pacific Northwest of the United States contains evidence of sudden subsidence during ruptures of the Cascadia subduction zone. Transfer functions (empirical relationships between assemblages and elevation) can convert microfossil data into coastal subsidence estimates. Coseismic deformation models use the subsidence values to constrain earthquake magnitudes. To test the response of foraminifera, the accuracy of the transfer function method, and the presence of a pre-seismic signal, we simulated a great earthquake near Coos Bay, Oregon, by transplanting a bed of modern high salt-marsh sediment into the tidal flat, an elevation change that mimics a coseismic subsidence of 0.64 m. The transplanted bed was quickly buried by mud; after 12 mo and 5 yr, we sampled it for foraminifera. Reconstruction of the simulated coseismic subsidence using our transfer function was 0.61 m, nearly identical to the actual elevation change. Our transplant experiment, and additional analyses spanning the A.D. 1700 earthquake contact at the nearby Coquille River 15 km to the south, show that sediment mixing may explain assemblage changes previously interpreted as evidence of pre-seismic land-level change in Cascadia and elsewhere.
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<font size="2">([http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/41/10/1067.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
[[Image:PLoS_ONE.jpg‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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----Engelhart, S.E., Horton, B.P., Nelson, A.R., Hawkes, A.D., Witter, R.C., Wang, K. and Vane, C.H., 2013. [http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/41/10/1067.abstract Testing the use of microfossils to reconstruct great earthquakes at Cascadia]. Geology 41(10), 1067-1070.  
Protists are key players in microbial communities, yet our understanding of their role in ecosystem functioning is seriously impeded by difficulties in identification of protistan species and their quantification. Current microscopy-based methods used for determining the abundance of protists are tedious and often show a low taxonomic resolution. Recent development of next-generation sequencing technologies offered a very powerful tool for studying the richness of protistan communities. Still, the relationship between abundance of species and number of sequences remains subjected to various technical and biological biases. Here, we test the impact of some of these biological biases on sequence abundance of SSU rRNA gene in foraminifera. ......
 
<font size="2">([http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0056739 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Weber, A.A.-T., Pawlowski, J., 2013. [http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0056739 Can Abundance of Protists Be Inferred from Sequence Data: A Case Study of Foraminifera]. PLoS ONE 8(2), e56739. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056739
 
  
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==DIVERSIFICATION PATTERNS OF PLANKTIC FORAMINIFERA IN THE FOSSIL RECORD==
  
==DEEP RELATIONSHIPS OF RHIZARIA REVEALED BY PHYLOGENOMICS==
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[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif‎‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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Theories of taxonomic diversification dispute whether global diversity has an upper limit set by the strength of biological interactions or grows in unlimited fashion until catastrophic events reset the system. We analyzed a global compendium of fossil planktic foraminifera from the early Cretaceous to the present after correcting for temporal differences in sampling effort. Our results show that their morphological diversity has increased exponentially through time in two different phases. The first phase collapsed at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary transition. The second phase developed through the Cenozoic era and declined during the Pliocene-Pleistocene interval, a period of time that was dominated by enhanced climatic and oceanographic instability. In none of these phases diversity reached an equilibrium level. Cenozoic faunas evolved faster than those inhabiting Cretaceous oceans, perhaps as a result of a higher environmental variability. Our results indicate that planktic foraminifera conform to an exponential diversification model. However, because catastrophic events have repeatedly reset the level of biological diversity and have kept it below the maximum, we cannot confirm whether the level of diversity is potentially unlimited.
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<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813001059 ABSTRACT])
  
[[Image:Molecular_Phylogenetics_and_Evolution.gif‎‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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----Cermeño, P., Castro-Bugallo, A., Callina, S.M., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813001059 Diversification patterns of planktic foraminifera in the fossil record]. Marine Micropaleontology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2013.09.003
Rhizaria is one of the six supergroups of eukaryotes, which comprise the majority of amoeboid and skeleton-building protists living in freshwater and marine ecosystems. There is an overall lack of molecular data for the group and therefore the deep phylogeny of rhizarians is unresolved. Molecular data are particularly scarce for the clade of Retaria, which include two prominent groups of microfossils: foraminiferans and radiolarians. To fill this gap, we have produced and sequenced EST libraries for 14 rhizarian species including seven foraminiferans, ''Gromia'' and six taxa belonging to traditional Haeckel’s Radiolaria: Acantharea, Polycystinea, and Phaeodarea. ...... In view of our study, Haeckel’s Radiolaria appears as both, a polyphyletic and paraphyletic assemblage of independent groups that should be considered as separate lineages in protist classification.
 
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790312004897 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Sierra, R., Matz, M.V., Aglyamova, G., Pillet, L., Decelle, J., Not, F., de Vargas, C., Pawlowski, J., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790312004897 Deep relationships of Rhizaria revealed by phylogenomics: A farewell to Haeckel’s Radiolaria]. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 67 (1), 53-59.
 
  
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==ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESES TO EXPLAIN THE EXTINCTION DURING THE MID-PLEISTOCENE CLIMATE TRANSITION==
  
==CLIMATE-DRIVEN RANGE EXTENSION OF ''Amphistegina''==
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[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif‎‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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Over 100 cosmopolitan species of deep-sea benthic foraminifera (Extinction Group, Ext. Gp) became extinct during the late Pliocene-middle Pleistocene (3.6-0.55 Ma). Most had elongate, cylindrical tests and terminal apertures with complex modifications. This study provides new hypotheses on the functions of the morphologies that characterised the Ext. Gp and how these features could have been associated with their demise. From our functional morphological analysis we infer that: i) their elongate cylindrical or flabelliform tests, combined with fine perforations and a complex terminal apertural face are indicative of infaunal k-strategists with a low rate of metabolism; ii) their complex apertural faces may also have been an adaptation for gathering or processing their specific phytodetrital food. ......  <br/>
 +
'''Highlights'''
 +
• Functional interpretation of the morphology of deep-sea foraminifera that became extinct during the MPT (Ext. Gp) suggests they had low rates of metabolism.
 +
• Lowered ''p''CO<sub>2</sub> during increasingly severe glacials of the mid-Pleistocene Climate Transition resulted in the decline and loss of many reticulofenestrid nannofossils and increased seasonality of phytoplankton blooms.
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• Ext. Gp species may have been out-competed by opportunistic benthic foraminifera that took advantage of the increased seasonality of phytodetrital flux to the deep-sea floor.
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• Lowered ''p''CO<sub>2</sub>  could have caused the loss of the particular phytoplankton group that was the detrital food of the Ext. Gp.
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<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813001060# ABSTRACT])
  
[[Image:PLoS_ONE.jpg‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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----Mancin, N., Hayward, B.W., Trattenero, I., Cobianchi, M., Lupi, C., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813001060# Can the morphology of deep-sea benthic foraminifera reveal what caused their extinction during the mid-Pleistocene Climate Transition?]. Marine Micropaleontology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2013.09.004
Species-range expansions are a predicted and realized consequence of global climate change. Climate warming and the poleward widening of the tropical belt have induced range shifts in a variety of marine and terrestrial species. Range expansions may have broad implications on native biota and ecosystem functioning as shifting species may perturb recipient communities. Larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera constitute ubiquitous and prominent components of shallow water ecosystems, and range shifts of these important protists are likely to trigger changes in ecosystem functioning. We have used historical and newly acquired occurrence records to compute current range shifts of ''Amphistegina'' spp., a larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera, along the eastern coastline of Africa and compare them to analogous range shifts currently observed in the Mediterranean Sea. ......
 
<font size="2">([http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0054443 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Langer, M.R., Weinmann, A.E., Lötters, S., Bernhard, J.M., Rödder, D., 2013. [http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0054443 Climate-Driven Range Extension of ''Amphistegina'' (Protista, Foraminiferida): Models of Current and Predicted Future Ranges]. PLoS ONE 8(2), e54443. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054443
 
  
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==AGGLUTINATED FORAMINIFERA ACROSS THE INDIAN MARGIN OMZ (ARABIAN SEA)==
  
==CLADOGENESIS IN MACROEVOLUTION BY INTEGRATING FOSSIL AND MOLECULAR EVIDENCE==
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<font size="2">
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We present a semi-quantitative survey of ‘live’ (stained) and dead hormosinacean foraminifera at six sites (500–2,000 m water depth; bottom-water oxygen concentrations 0.007–2.43 ml L<sup>−1</sup>) across the Indian margin oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Abundance of stained and dead specimens was highest at 800 m followed by 1,100 m, lowest at 2,000 m (stained) and 500 m (dead). The peak at 800 m possibly represents a release from oxygen stress combined with a rich food supply (‘edge effect’). We recognised 31 species (27 ''Reophax'', 2 ''Hormosinella'', 1 ''Hormosina'' and 1 ''Nodosinella'') among the 605 stained and dead specimens; the majority (21) are apparently undescribed.  Species richness was low at 2,000 m; within the OMZ, it was maximal at 1,100 m and minimal at 500 m for both stained and dead populations. Three species (''R. agglutinatus'', ''R''. aff. ''bilocularis'' and ''R. dentaliniformis'') occurred across the entire depth range. However, most species were either confined to the 2,000-m site or to one or more sites within the OMZ. Multivariate analysis of assemblage composition revealed that the 2,000-m site was distinct from shallower sites. Within the OMZ, the 900- and 1,100-m sites were the most similar, and the 500-m site the most distinct. Stained:dead test ratios were maximal at 500–835 m, perhaps reflecting enhanced preservation of cytoplasm at very low oxygen concentrations. At least two Reophax species are common to the Indian and Pakistan margin OMZ; one of these may be confined to the core of the Arabian Sea OMZ.
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<font size="2">([http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-013-0178-z ABSTRACT])
  
[[Image:PNAS_front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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----Taylor, A., Gooday, A.J., in press. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-013-0178-z Agglutinated foraminifera (superfamily Hormosinacea) across the Indian margin oxygen minimum zone (Arabian Sea)]. Marine Biodiversity, doi:10.1007/s12526-013-0178-z
Assessing the extent to which population subdivision during cladogenesis is necessary for long-term phenotypic evolution is of fundamental importance in a broad range of biological disciplines. Differentiating cladogenesis from anagenesis, defined as evolution within a species, has generally been hampered by dating precision, insufficient fossil data, and difficulties in establishing a direct link between morphological changes detectable in the fossil record and biological species. Here we quantify the relative frequencies of cladogenesis and anagenesis for macroperforate planktic Foraminifera, which arguably have the most complete fossil record currently available, to address this question. Analyzing this record in light of molecular evidence, while taking into account the precision of fossil dating techniques, we estimate that the fraction of speciation events attributable to anagenesis is <19% during the Cenozoic era (last 65 Myr) and <10% during the Neogene period (last 23 Myr). Our central conclusion—that cladogenesis is the predominant mode by which new planktic Foraminifera taxa become established at macroevolutionary time scales—differs markedly from the conclusion reached in a recent study based solely on fossil data. These disparate findings demonstrate that interpretations of macroevolutionary dynamics in the fossil record can be fundamentally altered in light of genetic evidence.
 
  
<font size="2">([http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/01/31/1208302110.abstract?sid=7fa30fed-92b3-462c-9384-1aa91fbef158 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Strotz, L.C., Allen, A.P., in press. [http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/01/31/1208302110.abstract?sid=7fa30fed-92b3-462c-9384-1aa91fbef158 Assessing the role of cladogenesis in macroevolution by integrating fossil and molecular evidence]. PNAS, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1208302110
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==TRACING SEAFLOOR METHANE EMISSIONS IN THE BAIYUN SAG OF THE NORTHERN SOUTH CHINA SEA==
  
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<font size="2">
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Changes in the concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases are an important part of the global climate forcing. The hypothesis that benthic foraminifera are useful proxies of local methane emission from the seafloor has been verified on sediment cores by numerous studies. The calcium carbonate (CaCO<sub>3</sub>) content and the high-resolution carbon and oxygen isotope composition of the benthic foraminifera from the core 08CF7, from the northeastern Shenhu gas hydrate drilling area in the Baiyun Sag of the northern South China Sea were analyzed, and the benthic foraminifera’s evidence for methane release from gas hydrate decomposition are presented here for the first time. ......
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<font size="2">([http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12665-012-2201-2 ABSTRACT])
  
==LIVING BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA FROM THE CAP-FERRET CANYON: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CANYON AXIS AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS==
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----Wang, S., Yan, B. and Yan, W., 2013. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12665-012-2201-2 Tracing seafloor methane emissions with benthic foraminifera in the Baiyun Sag of the northern South China Sea]. Environmental Earth Sciences 70(3), 1143-1150. 
  
[[Image:DeepSeaResearch_I_front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
 
Living (Rose Bengal stained) benthic foraminiferal faunas were investigated at 13 deep-sea stations sampled in the Cap-Ferret Canyon area (NE Atlantic). One station (151 m) is located on the continental shelf close to the canyon head. All other stations are located along 2 bathymetric transects: 7 sites along the canyon axis with depths ranging from 300 to 3000 m and 5 stations along the adjacent flank with depths ranging from 300 m to 2000 m. ...... <br/>
 
'''Highlights'''
 
► Live benthic foraminifera were studied at 13 stations in the Cap-Ferret Canyon. ► Fauna from the canyon axis were compared with live communities from adjacent areas. ► Geochemical data (e.g. OM composition) were used to described faunal distributions. ► Density and diversity along the canyon axis are higher than on the adjacent flank. ► This canyon shows lower density but higher diverse and complex fauna than Cap-Breton.
 
  
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967063713000241 ABSTRACT])
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==FORAMINIFERAL RESPONSE TO TRACE ELEMENT POLLUTION, THE GULF OF MILAZZO, NE SICILY==
  
----Duros, P., Fontanier, C., Metzger, E., Cesbron, F., Deflandre, B., Schmidt, S., Buscail, R., Zaragosi, S., Kerhervé, P., Rigaud, S., Delgard, M.-L., Jorissen, F.J., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967063713000241 Live (stained) benthic foraminifera from the Cap-Ferret Canyon (Bay of Biscay, NE Atlantic): A comparison between the canyon axis and the surrounding areas]. Deep Sea Research I, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2013.01.004
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<font size="2">
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The response of benthic foraminiferal assemblages to trace element pollution in the marine sediments of the Gulf of Milazzo (north-eastern Sicily) was investigated. Since the 1960s, this coastal area has been a preferred site for the development of two small marinas and a commercial harbour as well as for heavy industry. Forty samples collected in the uppermost 3–4 cm of an undisturbed layer of sediment in the littoral environment were used for this benthic foraminiferal analysis. The enrichment factors (EFs) of selected trace elements (As, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were also calculated. Changes both in benthic foraminiferal assemblages and in some trace elements concentrations have provided evidence that the gulf’s littoral zone can be subdivided into three sectors characterised by environmental changes in the marine ecosystem. ......
 +
<font size="2">([http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-013-3292-2 ABSTRACT])
  
 +
----Cosentino, C., Pepe, F., Scopelliti, G., Calabrò, M., Caruso, A., 2013. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-013-3292-2 Benthic foraminiferal response to trace element pollution—the case study of the Gulf of Milazzo, NE Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea)]. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 185 (10), 8777-8802.
  
==WESTERN PACIFIC THERMOCLINE STRUCTURE AND THE PACIFIC MARINE ITCZ DURING THE LGM==
 
  
[[Image:EarthPlanetarySciLetters_front.gif‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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==ABSENCE OF DIEL VERTICAL MIGRATION DURING THE MIDNIGHT SUN IN THE GRAM STRAIT==
Paleoclimate proxy evidence suggests a southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) during times of Northern Hemisphere cooling, including the Last Glacial Maximum, 19–23 ka before present. However, evidence for movement over the Pacific has mainly been limited to precipitation reconstructions near the continents, and the position of the Pacific marine ITCZ is less well constrained. In this study, we address this problem by taking advantage of the fact that the upper ocean density structure reflects the overlying wind field. We reconstruct changes in the upper ocean density structure during the LGM using oxygen isotope measurements on the planktonic foraminifera ''G. ruber'' and ''G. tumida'' in a transect of sediment cores from the Western Tropical Pacific. The data suggests a ridge in the thermocline just north of the present-day ITCZ persists for at least part of the LGM, and a structure in the Southern Hemisphere that differs from today. The reconstructed structure is consistent with that produced in a General Circulation Model with both a Northern and Southern Hemisphere ITCZ.
+
 
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X12007121 ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">
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The timing of vertical migration in planktonic foraminifera (ex. ontogenetic, diel) is still an open debate. This work aims to investigate the diel vertical migration (DVM) of ''Neogloboquadrina pachyderma'' (''N. pachyderma'') and ''Turborotalita quinqueloba'' (''T. quinqueloba'') in the Arctic during the midnight sun. ''N. pachyderma'' and ''T. quinqueloba'' dominate the total assemblage in the cold Polar Water and warmer North Atlantic Water masses, respectively. Foraminifera were collected at several depths along the Fram Strait. Afterwards sampling was performed at the same station for 24 h at continuous and discrete time intervals. Results show no evidence of planktonic foraminifera DVM since there was no significant variability in the abundance and size distribution during the 24-h collection period. This finding provides information to improve the interpretation of foraminifera in paleoclimatic works. This is especially relevant in the Fram Strait as paleoclimatic studies in this region are fundamental to investigating the history of the Atlantic water inflow into the Arctic Ocean.
 +
<font size="2">([http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10750-013-1669-4 ABSTRACT])
  
----Leech, P.J., Lynch-Stieglitz, J., Zhang, R., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X12007121 Western Pacific thermocline structure and the Pacific marine Intertropical Convergence Zone during the Last Glacial Maximum]. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 363, 133-143.
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----Manno, C. and Pavlov, A.K., in press. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10750-013-1669-4 Living planktonic foraminifera in the Fram Strait (Arctic): absence of diel vertical migration during the midnight sun]. Hydrobiologia, doi:10.1007/s10750-013-1669-4
  
  
==DEFINING PAST ECOLOGICAL STATUS AND ''in situ'' REFERENCE CONDITIONS USING BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA ==
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==THE PLIENSBACHIAN-TOARCIAN EXTINCTION, A GLOBAL MULTI-PHASED EVENT==
  
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[[Image:PPP_front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
Characterizing marine water bodies and defining ecological status, both present and past (pre-impacted), has become an important task for EU's Member States and their associates during the last decade due to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). However, none of the methods used to define Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) are able to accurately define the status for both the present-day and reference conditions at a given site (i.e., ''in situ''). Recent studies have revealed a significant correlation between the diversity of living (stained) fossilizable benthic foraminifera (protists) and associated environmental parameters (e.g., dissolved oxygen concentration). The present study takes this relationship a step further by applying methods used to define present-day EcoQS on fossil benthic foraminiferal assemblages and, thereby, defining past EcoQS (PaleoEcoQS). ......
+
...... We compare stratigraphic ranges of ammonite and foraminiferal species in Pliensbachian–Toarcian successions of western North America to the record in Europe and parts of the Arctic in order to test the geographic extent of the multiple phases of extinction. Our results show six intervals of species level decline that correlate with those recognized in Europe. ...... Recognition of this multi-phased event in three separate ocean basins (paleo Pacific, paleo Arctic, and Tethys Oceans), in at least two taxonomic groups, greatly expands the known geographic extent of this multi-phased event and argues for a controlling mechanism that is global in its reach. In relation to the Volcanic Greenhouse Scenario, our study shows that four of the six pulses of extinction occur within the main-phase of Karoo magmatism. The decline in the Early Pliensbachian, previously thought to be separate from this event, occurs within error range of the onset of Karoo magmatism and the decline in the Late Toarcian coincides with the later stages of magmatism. These observations extend the known duration of this multi-phased extinction event to the Early Pliensbachian and support the Volcanic Greenhouse Scenario, specifically the eruption of the Karoo–Ferrar LIP, as a preeminent factor driving the multi-phased extinction of the Pliensbachian–Toarcian.  
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X13000095 ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018213002344 ABSTRACT])
  
----Dolven, J.K., Alve, E., Rygg, B., Magnusson, J., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X13000095 Defining past ecological status and ''in situ'' reference conditions using benthic foraminifera: A case study from the Oslofjord, Norway]. Ecological Indicators 29, 219-233. .  
+
----Caruthers, A.H., Smith, P.L. and Gröcke, D.R., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018213002344 The Pliensbachian–Toarcian (Early Jurassic) extinction, a global multi-phased event]. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 386, 104-118.
  
  
==LATE CRETACEOUS FORAMINIFERA FROM THE RIO DEL REY BASIN, SW CAMEROON ==
+
==THE MORPHOGROUPS OF FORAMINIFERA FROM THE DEVONIAN CARBONATE COMPLEX OF THE PRAGUE SYNFORM, CZECH REPUBLIC==
  
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[[Image:PPP_front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
Campanian–Maastrichtian marine sediments outcrop in five genetically linked sedimentary basins along the West African coast in the Gulf of Guinea, from the Douala Basin in Cameroon to the Anambra Basin in Nigeria. These sediments in the more centrally located Rio del Rey Basin have been the least studied. Therefore, the geologic history of this region has merely been speculative. The Rio del Rey Basin like the adjacent Niger Delta is producing hydrocarbon from the offshore Tertiary sedimentary interval in which all studies have been focused, neglecting the onshore Cretaceous sediments. Outcrops in the basin are rare, small and highly weathered. Samples from some of these sediments have yielded a few Planktonic and dominantly benthonic foraminiferal assemblages. ......  
+
Agglutinated foraminifera from the Lower and lower part of the Middle Devonian, predominantly limestones of the Prague Synform (Barrandian area), were classified into five morphogroups ...... The absence of the deep infaunal morphogroups is characteristic. The morphogroup distribution has been strongly affected by oxygen concentration, the energy of the environment, nutrient availability and post-mortem processes. Intervals with diversified and abundant foraminiferal assemblages can be correlated with positive δ<sup>13</sup>C excursions and also with the deposition of nodular limestones. The Devonian assemblages from the Prague Synform were compared with isochronous assemblages from other regions. Though the taxonomical composition of the Early Devonian assemblages from these areas are rather different, the morphogroup composition is highly comparable, and globally indicates similar life and feeding strategies of the Early Devonian foraminifera.
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1464343X12002269 ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018213002551 ABSTRACT])
  
----Njoh, O.A., Victor, O., Christopher, A., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1464343X12002269 Campano–Maastrichtian foraminifera from onshore sediments in the Rio del Rey Basin, Southwest Cameroon]. Journal of African Earth Sciences 79, 157-164.  
+
----Holcová, K. and Slavík, L., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018213002551 The morphogroups of small agglutinated foraminifera from the Devonian carbonate complex of the Prague Synform, (Barrandian area, Czech Republic)]. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 386, 210-224.
  
  
==THE RASC AND CASC PROGRAMS FOR RANKING, SCALING AND CORRELATION OF BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC EVENTS ==
+
==BIOFACIES IN THE UPPER MIOCENE-LOWER PLIOCENE IN THE MANZANILLA BAY, NORTHEAST TRINIDAT==
  
 
<font size="2">
 
<font size="2">
RASC is an acronym for RAnking and SCcaling of biostratigraphic events. Code of the RASC computer program was originally published in ''Computers & Geosciences''. During the past 30 years this program has been continuously maintained and updated. Its purpose is to combine biostratigraphic data from land-based sections or exploratory wells drilled in sedimentary basins to construct a regional biozonation that can be used for correlation between sections within a study area. Different methods of quantitative stratigraphy are briefly reviewed in this paper. Ranking is illustrated by application to a simple, artificial dataset. Scaling is explained as a refinement of ranking. Implications of sampling of stratigraphic sections are discussed in detail. Several examples of past successful large-scale RASC applications are given. These include results for well data from the Cenozoic North Sea basin, northwestern Atlantic margin and the Cretaceous seaway between Norway and Greenland. Paleoceanographic interpretations of RASC biozonations supplemented by analysis of variance and correlations between wells are exemplified as well. History of program development is summarized in an Appendix.
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The Miocene–Pliocene Manzanilla Formation of northern Trinidad marks the arrival of the east-west flowing Orinoco River. Foraminifera were examined quantitatively in samples obtained at ∼5 m intervals from the lowest member of the formation, the San José Calcareous Silt Member, where exposed at eastern Manzanilla Bay and Point Noir. Recovery of ''Globorotalia merotumida'' indicates an age within the ''Globorotalia acostaensis'' Zone through Globorotalia margaritae evoluta Subzone, (N16–N19). Values of the information function (H) and the percentage of the total assemblage as planktonic foraminifera (%P), both traditionally used as palaeodepth indicators, were uncorrelated. ...... <br/>
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0098300413000162 ABSTRACT])
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'''Highlights'''
  
----Agterberg, F.P., Gradstein, F.M., Cheng, Q., Liu, G., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0098300413000162 The RASC and CASC programs for ranking, scaling and correlation of biostratigraphic events]. Computers & Geosciences, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2013.01.002
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• The San José Calcareous Silt Member was deposited under considerable freshwater influence.
 +
• The abundance of ''Pseudononion atlanticum'' and ''Hanzawaia carstensi'' indicate shallow neritic palaeodepths.
 +
• The water was occasionally clear enough for ''Amphistegina gibbosa''.
 +
• ''Haplophragmoides wilberti'' indicate at least one intertidal interlude.
 +
• The abundance of planktonic foraminifera and benthonic foraminiferal diversity are uncorrelated.
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981113000813 ABSTRACT])
  
 +
----Wilson, B., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981113000813 Foraminiferal biofacies in the San José Calcareous Silt Member (Manzanilla Formation, Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene) in the Manzanilla Bay area, north-east Trinidad, and their environmental significance]. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 46, 80-88.
  
==THE FORAMINIFERA FROM THE BAZARUTO ARCHIPELAGO (MOZAMBIQUE)==
 
  
[[Image:NeuesJahrbuch_front.jpeg‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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==EVALUATION OF ∂<sup>13</sup> STRATIGRAPHY AND BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC IMPLICATIONS FOR LATE CRETACEOUS GLOBAL CORRELATION==
The Bazaruto Archipelago in the western Indian Ocean is home to a diverse reef biota and a notable tourist attraction along the coast of Mozambique. Analyses of shallow-water reefal and lagoonal sediments from Bazaruto Island reveal two diverse assemblages of benthic foraminifera. The assemblages occupy three major environments and sedimentary regimes and are indicative of reef, channel and lagoon facies. Species richness, Fisher a analyses, assemblage composition, and percentage abundances of larger-symbiont-bearing foraminifera are mirrored in the cluster analyses. ...... Thus, the autochthonous benthic assemblages may preserve the original community structure and sufficient environmental information to be useful indicators for paleoecological studies.
 
<font size="2">([http://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/267/79468/The_foraminifera_from_the_Bazaruto_Archipelago_Moz?af=search ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Langer, M.R., Thissen, J.M., Makled, W.A., Weinmann, A.E. 2013. [http://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/267/79468/The_foraminifera_from_the_Bazaruto_Archipelago_Moz?af=search The foraminifera from the Bazaruto Archipelago (Mozambique)]. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 267 (2), 155-170.
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[[Image:EarthScienceReview_front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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...... To better assess the global versus local contribution in a δ<sup>13</sup>C record it is necessary to compare numerous isotopic records on a global scale. As a contribution to this objective, this paper reviews bulk sediment δ13Ccarb records from the Late Cretaceous in order to identify differences and similarities in secular δ<sup>13</sup>C trends that help establish a global reference δ<sup>13</sup>C record for this period. The study presents a global-scale comparison of twenty δ<sup>13</sup>C records from sections representing various palaeo-latitudes in both hemispheres and different oceanic settings from the Boreal, Tethys, Western Interior, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, and with various diagenetic overprinting. The isotopic patterns are correlated based on independent dating with biostratigraphic and paleomagnetic data and reveal good agreement of the major isotope events despite offsets in absolute δ<sup>13</sup>C values and variation in amplitude between the sites. ...... The combination of chemostratigraphy with biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy substantially increases the precision and temporal resolution of inter-regional correlations and helps overcome problems that arise from differences in biostratigraphic schemes, facies or provincialism of key fossils. By using an iterative approach to stepwise increase precision of the correlations, isochroneity of first and last occurrences of marker species versus chemostratigraphy is tested, which helps to improve biostratigraphic zonations, to assess zonal boundary ages and to identify useful criteria for defining Late Cretaceous stage boundaries, many of which are still not formally defined. The presented correlations indicate a consistent position for most planktic foraminifer zonal boundaries relative to corresponding isotope shifts during the mid-Cretaceous sea-level high, whereas diachroneity appears to be more pronounced during the Late Campanian and Maastrichtian global sea-level fall. A similar pattern is observed for trans-continental consistency in the δ<sup>13</sup>C shifts. Graphic correlation of isotopic shifts, magnetostratigraphic and biostratigraphic events among the compared sections is used to detect hiatuses or relative changes sediment accumulation rates and visualizes consistency or offsets of individual biostratigraphic markers relative to chemo- and magnetostratigraphy. Finally, an attempt of a global average δ<sup>13</sup>C stack is presented for the Turonian through Maastrichtian.
  
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825213001293# ABSTRACT])
  
==GLOBAL BIOGEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF MORPHOSPECIES OF LIVING BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA==
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----Wendler, I., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825213001293# A critical evaluation of carbon isotope stratigraphy and biostratigraphic implications for Late Cretaceous global correlation]. Earth-Sciences Review 126, 116-146.
  
[[Image:JMicro_front.gif|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
 
Previous studies have investigated regional distribution but this is the first attempt to investigate the global biogeographical distribution of individual morphospecies of living/stained smaller benthic foraminifera. From 8032 samples collected between 1952 and 2011 data have been gathered on the relative abundance of >120 species in five major environments ranging from marsh to deep sea. There is a spectrum of six groups of species with abundance ranging from very high (Group 1) to extremely low (Group 6). ......  Individual species are shown to occupy a range of environments with very few being confined to a single environment (usually either marsh or deep sea). Some species occur in several oceans while others are confined to just one. There is no correlation between species abundance and being either widely or narrowly distributed. ...... Patterns of biogeography have application to ecology, palaeoecology and taxonomy.
 
<font size="2">([http://jm.lyellcollection.org/content/32/1/1.abstract ABSTRACT])
 
  
----Murray, J.W., 2013. [http://jm.lyellcollection.org/content/32/1/1.abstract Living benthic foraminifera: biogeographical distributions and the significance of rare morphospecies]. Journal of Micropalaeontology 32 (1), 1-58.
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==ASSESSMENT OF SEAWATER Nd ISOTOPE SIGNATURES AND AUTHIGENIC PHASES OF GULF OF GUINEA SEDIMENTS==
  
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<font size="2">
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The radiogenic neodymium (Nd) isotope composition of foraminiferal shells provides a powerful archive to investigate past changes in sources and mixing of water masses. However, seawater Nd isotope ratios extracted from foraminiferal shells can be biased by contaminant phases such as organic matter, silicates, or ferromanganese coatings, the removal of which requires rigorous multiple step cleaning of the samples. Here we investigate the efficiency of Flow Through and batch cleaning methods to extract seawater Nd isotope compositions from planktonic foraminifera in a shelf setting in the Gulf of Guinea that is strongly influenced by riverine sediment inputs. Nd isotope analyses of reductively and oxidatively cleaned mono-specific planktonic foraminiferal samples and reductively cleaned mixed benthic foraminifera were complemented by analyses of non-reductively cleaned mono-specific planktonic foraminiferal samples, Fe–Mn coatings of de-carbonated bulk sediment leachates, and the residual detrital fraction of the same sediment. ......
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016703713004092 ABSTRACT])
  
==1ST EXAMPLE WHERE THE MORPHOGLOCIAL VARIABILITY IN A MORPHOSPECIES EXCEEDS ITS rDNA GENETIC VARIABILITY==
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----Kraft, S., Frank, M., Hathorne, Ed.C. and Weldeab, S., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016703713004092 Assessment of seawater Nd isotope signatures extracted from foraminiferal shells and authigenic phases of Gulf of Guinea sediments]. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 121, 414-435.
  
[[Image:Paleobiology_cover.jpg‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
 
Previous genetic studies of extant planktonic foraminifera have provided evidence that the traditional, strictly morphological definition of species in these organisms underestimates their biodiversity. Here, we report the first case where this pattern is reversed. The modern (sub)tropical species plexus ''Globigerinoides sacculifer'' is characterized by large morphological variability, which has led to the proliferation of taxonomic names attributed to morphological end-members within the plexus. In order to clarify the taxonomic status of its morphotypes and to investigate the genetic connectivity among its currently partly disjunct (sub)tropical populations, we carried out a global survey of two ribosomal RNA regions (SSU and ITS-1) in all recent morphotypes of the plexus collected throughout (sub)tropical surface waters of the global ocean. ...... This is the first example in planktonic foraminifera where the morphological variability in a morphospecies exceeds its rDNA genetic variability. Such evidence for inconsistent scaling of morphological and genetic diversity in planktonic foraminifera could complicate the interpretation of evolutionary patterns in their fossil record.
 
<font size="2">([http://www.psjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1666/0094-8373-39.1.21 ABSTRACT])
 
  
----André, A., Weiner, A., Quillévér´, F., Aurahs, R., Morard, R., Douady, C., de Garidel-Thoron, T., Escarguel, G., de Vargas, C., Kucera, M., 2013. [http://www.psjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1666/0094-8373-39.1.21 The cryptic and the apparent reversed: lack of genetic differentiation within the morphologically diverse plexus of the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides sacculifer]. Paleobiology 39 (1), 21-39.
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==PALAEOCLIMATIC FLUCTUATIONS IN THE NEW CALEDONIAN BASIN, OVER THE LAST 140,000 YERS==
  
 
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[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
==CALCIUM CARBONATE PRESERVATION VS. CLIMATE CHANGE OVER THE LAST 2400 YRS IN THE FRAM STRAIT ==
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The New Caledonia Basin (NCB), SW Pacific, a deep bathyal to abyssal basin bordered by the Lord Howe Rise to the west and the Norfolk Ridge to the east, has received little scrutiny with regards to the taxonomic diversity of benthic organisms in its Quaternary to Recent deep sea sediments. In 2001, gravity core GC4 was extracted from the NCB and the uppermost 141 cm, representing approximately the last 140 000 years, was investigated for chemical isotopic, carbonate, non-carbonate and trace element signatures. ...... <BR/>
 
 
[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
 
We present a high-resolution study of planktic foraminiferal distribution patterns in a deep sea core from the eastern Fram Strait (position 78° 55′ N; 06° 46′ E; water depth 1497 m). The sediment core is located below Atlantic water masses flowing into the Arctic Ocean and spans the last 2400 years. The investigation is based on planktic foraminiferal species distribution, stable isotopes, and sedimentological data. The mean shell weight of ''Neogloboquadrina pachyderma'', %fragmentation, organic and inorganic carbon content and the presence of benthic organic linings were also investigated as an indication of preservation changes. ...... <br/>
 
 
'''Highlights'''
 
'''Highlights'''
► Paleoceanograpy and preservation of planktic foraminifera, eastern Fram Strait. ► Dissolution of CaCO<sub>3</sub> over the last 2400 years due to high organic productivity. ► Preservation of small dissolution-prone species at the core top (last 100 years). ► Overestimation of the last century sea surface warming due to dissolution effects.
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•Foraminifera were investigated from New Caledonia Basin core dating back ~ 140 kyr.
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839812000916 ABSTRACT])
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•161 species were identified, 46 found in abundances reflecting biodiversity trends.
 +
•2 distinct foraminiferal assemblages were identified using Bray-Curtis analyses.
 +
•Assemblage composition change was related to broad oceanic/climate fluctuations.
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000972 ABSTRACT])
  
----Zamelczyk, K., Rasmussen, T.L., Husum, K., Hald, M., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839812000916 Marine calcium carbonate preservation vs. climate change over the last two millennia in the Fram Strait: Implications for planktic foraminiferal paleostudies]. Marine Micropaleontology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2012.10.001
+
----Mamo, B.L., Brock, G.A., Gretton, E.J., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000972 Deep sea benthic foraminifera as proxies for palaeoclimatic fluctuations in the new caledonia basin, over the last 140 000 years]. Marine Micropaleontology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2013.08.002.
  
  
==TOWARDS RADIOCARBON DATING OF SINGLE FORAMINIFERA WITH A GAS ION SOURCE==
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==SYNCHROTON RADIATION X-RAY TOMOGRAPHIC MICROSCOPY OF PLANKTONIC FORAMINIFERS==
  
<font size="2">
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[[Image:Palaeontology_cover.gif|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
Carbonate shells from foraminifera are often analysed for radiocarbon to determine the age of deep-sea sediments or to assess radiocarbon reservoir ages. However, a single foraminiferal test typically contains only a few micrograms of carbon, while most laboratories require more than 100 μg for radiocarbon dating with an accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system. The collection of the required amount of foraminifera for a single analyses is therefore time consuming and not always possible. Here, we present a convenient method to measure the radiocarbon content of foraminifera using an AMS system fitted with a gas ion source. ......
+
Making the link between evolutionary processes and development in extinct organisms is usually hampered by the lack of preservation of ontogenetic stages in the fossil record. Planktic foraminifers, which grow by adding chambers, are an ideal target organism for such studies as their test incorporates all prior developmental stages. Previously, studies of development in these organisms were limited by the small size of their early chambers. Here, we describe the application of synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) to document the ontogenetic history of the foraminifers ''Globigerinoides sacculifer'' and ''Globorotalia menardii''. Our SRXTM scans permit resolution at submicrometre scale, thereby displaying additional internal structures such as pores, dissolution patterns and complexity of the wall growth. Our methods provide a powerful tool to pick apart the developmental history of these microfossils and subsequently assist in inferring phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary processes.
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168583X12005642 ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.12013/abstract ABSTRACT])
  
----Wacker, L., Lippold, J., Molnár, M., Schulz, H., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168583X12005642 Towards radiocarbon dating of single foraminifera with a gas ion source]. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 294, 307-310.
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----Schmidt, D.N., Rayfiedl, E.J., Cocking, A., Marone, F., 2013. [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.12013/abstract Linking evolution and development: Synchrotron Radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy of planktic foraminifers]. Palaeontology 56(4), 741-749.
  
  
==HIGH RESOLUTION BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE C-T INTERVAL (OAE2) IN NORTH-CENTRAL TUNISIA==
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==CENOMANIAN ROTALIIDS FROM OMAN AND MOROCCO==
  
 
<font size="2">
 
<font size="2">
High-resolution foraminiferal biostratigraphic analysis has been undertaken on the Bahloul Formation, in Bargou, Jerisa, Guern Halfaya (Central Tunisia), Kherij (North-eastern Tunisia) and Gafsa (southern Tunisia) sections, which prove the preservation of the worldwide expression of the Cenomanian–Turonian transition (C–T) Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE2). This study confirms that the OAE2 was rather a long-term global event. The high resolution biostratigraphical analysis has allowed subdividing the ''Whiteinella archaeocretacea'' zone of the standard biostratigraphic scheme. ......
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The small rotaliids (Foraminiferida) found in Cenomanian rock thin sections of Oman and Morocco are diversified. A continuum of morphotypes is divided within 3 taxa described as subspecies of Rotorbinella mesogeensis Tronchetti 1981 from which they share many morphological characteristics. ...... ''Pararotalia boixae'' sp. nov. comprises specimens previously attributed to ''P. tuberculifera'' Reuss 1862 pro parte. This Cenomanian new species (with Campanian affinis forms) is characterized by morphological features that clearly distinct it from the type of Reuss. We found it in the Cenomanian of Oman, but not in contemporaneous Moroccan sediments.
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1464343X12001884 ABSTRACT])
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<font size="2">([http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13358-013-0054-2 ABSTRACT])
  
----Zaghbin-Turki, D., Soua, M., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1464343X12001884 High resolution biostratigraphy of the Cenomanian–Turonian interval (OAE2) based on planktonic foraminiferal bioevents in North-Central Tunisia]. Journal of African Earth Sciences 78, 97-108.
+
----Piuz, A., Meister, C., in press. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13358-013-0054-2 Cenomanian rotaliids (Foraminiferida) from Oman and Morocco
 +
]. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology, doi:10.1007/s13358-013-0054-2
  
  
==SYMBIONT 'BLEACHING' IN PLANKTIC FORAMINIFERA DURING MIDDLE EOCENE CLIMATIC OPTIMUM==
+
==MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF ELPHIDIIDAE==
  
[[Image:Geology_cover.gif‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
Many genera of modern planktic foraminifera are adapted to nutrient-poor (oligotrophic) surface waters by hosting photosynthetic symbionts, but it is unknown how they will respond to future changes in ocean temperature and acidity. Here we show that ca. 40 Ma, some fossil photosymbiont-bearing planktic foraminifera were temporarily 'bleached' of their symbionts coincident with transient global warming during the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO).  ...... Our findings show that host-photosymbiont interactions are not constant through geological time, with implications for both the evolution of trophic strategies in marine plankton and the reliability of geochemical proxy records generated from symbiont-bearing planktic foraminifera.
+
The Elphidiidae represent one of the most abundant and diversified foraminiferal family in shallow water habitats worldwide. Playing crucial roles in diverse ecosystems, they occur since the Eocene to present and are widely used for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. However, the lack of a clear taxonomic consensus led to a vast confusion concerning the relation of Elphidiidae with other rotaliids, in particular Nonionidae (''Haynesina'') and Rotaliidae (''Ammonia''). Moreover, high morphological plasticity of the test prevented the establishment of a clear definition for many species and genera of this family. Here, 66 new sequences of the SSU rRNA gene were obtained and used to build an extensive dataset including 94 complete or partial sequences of the SSU rDNA of 17 different morphospecies of ''Elphidiidae'', ''Haynesina'' and ''Ammonia''.  ...... <BR/>
<font size="2">([http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/early/2012/10/18/G33388.1.abstract? ABSTRACT])
+
'''Highlights'''
 +
•Phylogenetic analysis of 17 morphospecies of Elphidiidae and their close relatives.
 +
•Six highly supported clades are identified.
 +
•Molecular taxonomy (SSU rDNA) shows many discrepancies with current taxonomic system.
 +
•This study challenges species, genus and family level classifications.
 +
•Answers to important questions regarding classification of elphidiids are proposed.
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000753 ABSTRACT])
  
----Edgar, K.M., Bohaty, S.M., Gibbs, S.J., Sexton, P.F., Norris, R.D., Wilson, P.A., in press. [http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/early/2012/10/18/G33388.1.abstract? Symbiont 'bleaching' in planktic foraminifera during the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum]. Geology, doi: 10.1130/G33388.1
+
----Pillet, L., Voltski, I., Korsun, S., Pawlowski, J., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000753 Molecular phylogeny of Elphidiidae (foraminifera)]. Marine Micropaleontology 103, 1-14.
  
  
==MULTISPIRAL GROWTH IN ''Nummulites''==
+
==SANTONIAN-CAMPANIAN PLANKTONIC FORAMINIFERA SPECIES DEPTH ECOLOGY AND PALEOCEANOGRAPHIC INFERENCES==
  
[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
+
[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
An analysis of multispiral growth in Eocene nummulitids was performed. The ontogeny of some multispiral specimens was reconstructed, quantified and modelled, and the occurrence of multispiral growth in the different ''Nummulites'' and ''Assilina'' species has been reviewed. The results showed that all larger species display multispiral growth. ...... The gigantic sizes of 5 to 15 cm reached by ''Nummulites'' are produced mainly by the increase in growth rate provided by multispiral growth, and only secondarily by an increase in longevity that is thought to be of less than 6 years. The current view of larger foraminifera as slow growing, long-living, extreme K-strategists is questioned and discussed.
+
The Santonian–Campanian interval is of particular interest as it encompasses a cooling trend after the Late Cretaceous greenhouse maximum warmth of the Turonian as well as a possibly related major faunal turnover among planktonic foraminifera. The recovery of pristinely preserved planktonic foraminifera from Santonian–Campanian sequences in southeastern Tanzania allows examination of faunal changes and documentation of species-specific stable isotope (δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>18</sup>O) signatures. These isotopic data are ideal for inferring species paleoecological preferences and for tracing major paleoceanographic changes. This study reports the first δ<sup>18</sup>O and δ<sup>13</sup>C data generated on “glassy” specimens of ''Marginotruncana coronata'', ''M. undulata'', ''M. marginata'', and ''M. pseudolinneiana'' and ''Sigalia carpatica''. Additional results from Shatsky Rise (Ocean Drilling Program Leg 198, Hole 1210B) and Exmouth Plateau (ODP Leg 122, Hole 762C) provide geographic control on species habitat preferences and paleoceanographic context. ......
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839812000874 ABSTRACT])
+
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000777# ABSTRACT])
  
----Ferràndez-Cañadell, C., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839812000874 Multispiral growth in ''Nummulites''. Paleobiological implications]. Marine Micropaleontology, doi:10.1016/j.marmicro.2012.09.001
+
----Falzoni, F., Petrizzo, M.R., MacLeod, K.G., Huber, B., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000777# Santonian–Campanian planktonic foraminifera from Tanzania, Shatsky Rise and Exmouth Plateau: Species depth ecology and paleoceanographic inferences]. Marine Micropaleontology 103, 15-29.
  
  
==LATE EARLY OLIGOCENE BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA IN THE EASTERN EQUATORIAL PACIFIC==
+
==DO FORAMINIFERA MIRROR DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS OF MACROBENTHIC FAUNA IN AN ARCTIC FJORD?==
  
[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
+
[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
We documented new data on the late early Oligocene benthic foraminifera and sediment geochemistry in the eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean (EEP) from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (Exp. 320) Site U1334 (paleo-water depth: ~ 3650 to ~ 3850 m) with some published data on those from Ocean Drilling Program (Leg 199) Sites 1218 (~ 3850 to ~ 4000 m) and 1219 (~ 4270 to ~ 4370 m) in order to understand the response of abyssal benthic foraminifera to paleoceanographic conditions during the interval ~ 32–28 Ma. ......<br/>
+
This paper compares the distribution and diversity patterns of benthic foraminifera (all taxa and only calcareous forms) and macrozoobenthos in an Arctic glacial fjord. The samples were collected at 22 stations located in Hornsund (west Spitsbergen). The activity of tidal glaciers located in the inner basins causes steep environmental gradients of turbidity, organic matter supply, and sediment stability. Clear differences in density, diversity and species composition were documented for both foraminifera and macrofauna between the groups of stations located in three zones along a gradient of increasing tidal glacier impact. ...... Our study provides evidence that the patterns of calcareous foraminifera density, diversity and species composition in a glacial fjord can be effective, reliable indicators of variability of these characteristics in other benthic compartments.<br/>
 
'''Highlights'''
 
'''Highlights'''
► Benthic foraminifera in the eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean ► Documentation of abyssal benthic foraminifera during ~ 32 to ~ 28 Ma ► Characteristics of abundant common taxa of benthic foraminifera ► Influence of Southern Component Water at the Oi-2 event.
+
•We compared responses of Foraminifera and macrofauna to glacial impacts.
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839812000886 ABSTRACT])
+
•Patterns of species distribution in two groups in a glacial fjord were correlated.
 +
•Species richness and density of both groups declined towards glaciers.
 +
•Foraminifera can be a useful indicator of other benthic groups variability.
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000765 ABSTRACT])
  
----Takata, H., Nomura, R., Tsujimoto, A., Khim, B.-K., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839812000886 Late early Oligocene deep-sea benthic foraminifera and their faunal response to paleoceanographic changes in the eastern Equatorial Pacific]. Marine Micropaleontology, doi:10.1016/j.marmicro.2012.09.002
+
----Włodarska-Kowalczuk, M., Pawłowska, J., Zajączkowski, M., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000765 Do foraminifera mirror diversity and distribution patterns of macrobenthic fauna in an Arctic glacial fjord?]. Marine Micropaleontology 103, 30-39.
  
  
==DIVERSITY AND MICROHABITATS OF LIVING BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA IN THE ABYSSAL NE PACIFIC==
+
==HYPERSALINE BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA FROM EASTERN RED SEA: THEIR USEFULNESS IN SEA-LEVEL RECONSTRUCTION==
  
[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
+
[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
We investigated assemblages of living benthic foraminifera (> 63 μm) from replicate samplesat ''Station M'' in the abyssal Northeast Pacific. Push cores collected in September 2007 (StatM07) and May 2009 (StatM09) from 3953 m depth were examined for population densities, species composition, and vertical occurrence within the sediment. ...... The majority of species displayed an epifaunal or shallow-infaunal habitat. The observed vertical distribution patterns, species diversity, and assemblage composition are similar to other abyssal North Pacific assemblages and reflect the level of organic flux at ''Station M''.<br/>
+
The Shuaiba Lagoon is a fossil back-reef, hypersaline small basin located 80 km south of Jeddah city on the eastern Red Sea coast, Saudi Arabia. The surface sediments of the lagoon were investigated for their benthic foraminiferal content in order to correlate, in general, with environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, pH, sediment grain size, organic matter and, in particular, with tidal elevations to develop a training set for predicting sea-level changes in the lagoon. Hierarchical cluster analysis divided the benthic foraminifera in the Shuaiba Lagoon into four distinct faunal assemblages. ...... <br/>
 
'''Highlights'''
 
'''Highlights'''
► Diverse and individual-rich community of deep-sea foraminifera in the Northeast Pacific. ► Soft-walled monothalamous saccamminids dominate the community numerically. ► Assemblage composition and depth distribution of species resemble other abyssal settings .
+
•Foraminiferal assemblages and their factors in the Shuaiba Lagoon were investigated.
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839812000850 ABSTRACT])
+
•Each of these assemblages occupied a distinct elevational zone in the lagoon.
 +
•Intertidal-high subtidal assemblages could predict the sea level change with ± 0.16 m.
 +
•Low subtidal-deep water assemblages were deleterious on the TF giving a wide error.
 +
•The pH controlled the distribution abundances of the symbiont-bearing assemblages.
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000790 ABSTRACT])
  
----Enge, A., Kucera, M., Heinz, P., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839812000850 Diversity and microhabitats of living benthic foraminifera in the abyssal Northeast Pacific]. Marine Micropaleontology, doi:10.1016/j.marmicro.2012.08.004
+
----Abu-Zied, R.H., Bantan, R.A., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000790 Hypersaline benthic foraminifera from the Shuaiba Lagoon, eastern Red Sea, Saudi Arabia: Their environmental controls and usefulness in sea-level reconstruction]. Marine Micropaleontology 103, 51-67.
  
  
==THE MIDDLE CENOMANIAN EVENT IN THE EQUATORIAL ATLANTIC==
+
==MOLECULAR AND ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION OF FORAMINIFERAL ORGANIC LININGS==
  
[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
+
[[Image:Marine_Micropaleontology_Front.gif|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
In addition to Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2), other perturbations of the carbon cycle occurred during the Cenomanian and Turonian, of which the Middle Cenomanian Event (MCE) is the most prominent one. In palaeoecological publications, however, this event is strongly underrepresented in contrast to the well-studied OAE2. In order to fill this gap, we have studied Early Cenomanian to Late Turonian calcareous nannofossil and benthic foraminiferal assemblages of Ocean Drilling Program Site 1260 at Demerara Rise (western equatorial North Atlantic), in order to decipher biotic changes throughout this interval and especially across the MCE. ...... <br/>
+
Fossil remnants of benthic foraminifera consist of carbonate tests and their organic linings. The macromolecular and stable isotopic composition of these benthic foraminiferal organic linings was characterized to evaluate their potential use as paleoclimate proxies. Using Curie point pyrolysis–GC–MS (Py–GC–MS) we show that benthic foraminiferal organic linings consist of protein and polysaccharides, bound together in a complex macromolecular structure. ...... <BR/>
 
'''Highlights'''
 
'''Highlights'''
► Quantitative nannofossil data for the Middle Cenomanian Event (MCE) are presented. ► Long-lasting change of nannofossil- and benthic foraminiferal communities observed. ► The MCE is characterised by the onset of intensified water-column stratification. ► The MCE shows less speciations/extinctions than Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2).
+
•The organic linings of benthic foraminifera consist of complex mixture of polysaccharide and protein based macromolecules.
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839812000849 ABSTRACT])
+
•The stable carbon isotopic composition of foraminiferal linings reflects the foraminiferal food source.
 +
•The oxygen isotopic composition of the linings potentially allows reconstructing seawater oxygen isotopes.
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000741# ABSTRACT])
  
----Hardas, P., Mutterlose, J., Friedrich, O., Erbacher, J., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839812000849 The Middle Cenomanian event in the equatorial Atlantic: The calcareous nannofossil and benthic foraminiferal response]. Marine Micropaleontology, doi:10.1016/j.marmicro.2012.08.003
+
----Ní Fhlaithearta, S., Ernst, S.R., Nierop, K.G.J., de Lange, G.J., Reichart, G.-J., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377839813000741# Molecular and isotopic composition of foraminiferal organic linings 103, 69-78.
  
  
==BURDIGALIAN INFILL OF THE PUCHKIRCHEN TROUGH (NORTH ALPINE FORELAND BASIN, CENTRAL PARATETHYS)==
+
==DISTRIBUTION OF BENTHIC FORAMINIFERS OF THE BASQUE SHELF==
  
 
<font size="2">
 
<font size="2">
To improve the prediction of gas and oil in strata along the tectonically imbricated southern margin of the Puchkirchen Trough (North Alpine Foreland Basin, Central Paratethys), a better understanding of facies distribution and stratigraphic control of the basin is essential. The present study provides bio- and chemofacies analyses and a biostratigraphic evaluation for the pelitic Hall Formation from the borehole Hochburg 1 in the central part of the Puchkirchen Trough. A statistical evaluation of benthic foraminiferal assemblages together with geochemical proxy records (TOC, sulfur, hydrogen index, δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>TOC</sub>, δ<sup>15</sup>N<sub>TN</sub>) reveals a succession of early Burdigalian depositional environments. ...... <br/>
+
We describe the spatial distribution of recent benthic foraminifer assemblages from the western area of the Basque shelf in relation with some environmental parameters. A total of 138 species have been identified, being the most abundant Cassidulina laevigata, Gaudryina rudis, Lobatula lobatula, Rosalina globularis and Textularia sagittula. Multivariate analyses (cluster Q-type and Detrended and Canonical Correspondence Analysis) performed with the benthic foraminifers of these samples show the separation of two main groups of species related with the sediment grain size: (1) coarse to very coarse sand and (2) medium sand and sandy silt. Seven clusters are characterised by their typical foraminifer assemblage and average values of particular parameters: clay-silt content of the sediment, depth, and percentage of foraminifer species indicative of hypoxia. The main features of marine currents of the area are reflected by these foraminifer assemblages. ......
'''Highlights'''
+
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278434313002458 ABSTRACT])
► Combination of foraminiferal assemblages, geochemical proxies, seismic images. ► Hall Formation reveals succession of early Burdigalian depositional environments. ► Documentation of final sedimentary infill of the Puchkirchen Trough. ► Three 3rd-order sequences that correspond to global sequences Bur 1-3. ► Eustatic sea-level rather than tectonics controls Burdigalian deposition.
+
 
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264817212001924 ABSTRACT])
+
----Martínez-García, B., Pascual, A., Rodríguez-Lázato, J., Bodego, A., 2013. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278434313002458 Recent benthic foraminifera of the Basque continental shelf (Bay of Biscay, northern Spain: Oceanographic implication)]. Continental Shelf Research 66(1), 105-122.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
==BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE UPPER ALBIAN-UPPER CENOMANIAN OF THE TATRA MASSIF, CARPATHIANS==
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Acta Geologica Polonica front.jpg‎ ‎‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
 +
The foraminiferal and radiolarian biostratigraphy of selected sections of the Zabijak Formation, the youngest sediments of the Tatra massif (Central Western Carpathians), have been studied. Benthic foraminifers, mainly agglutinated species, occur abundantly and continuously throughout the studied succession, while planktic foraminifers are generally sparse. Five planktic and two benthic foraminiferal zones have been recognized. The marly part of the Zabijak Formation comprises the ''Pseudothalmanninella ticinensis'' (Upper Albian) through the ''Rotalipora cushmani'' (Upper Cenomanian) planktic foraminiferal zones, and the ''Haplophragmoides nonioninoides'' and ''Bulbobaculites problematicus'' benthic foraminiferal zones. The radiolarians were recognized exclusively in the Lower Cenomanian part of the formation.
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/agp.2013.63.issue-2/agp-2013-0009/agp-2013-0009.xml ABSTRACT])
 +
 
 +
----Bąk, K., Bąk, M., 2013. [http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/agp.2013.63.issue-2/agp-2013-0009/agp-2013-0009.xml Foraminiferal and radiolarian biostratigraphy of the youngest (Late Albian through Late Cenomanian) sediments of the Tatra massif, Central Western Carpathians]. Acta Geologica Polonica 63(2), 223-238f.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
==ASSESSING THE INFLUENCE OF METHODOLOGIES ON RECENT BENTHIC FORAMINIFERAL ASSEMBLAGE COMPOSITION==
 +
 
 +
[[Image:JMicro_front.gif‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
 +
The aim of the present study was to compare preservation, staining and preparation techniques to assess the influence of different sample treatments and analyses on the accuracy of benthic foraminiferal assemblage data from NE Atlantic shelf seas. Replicate surface samples from the SE North Sea were preserved with ethanol–rose Bengal or formalin, some were stained after processing, or foraminifera were concentrated by flotation. ...... Population density varied between different preservation, picking modes and investigators. The accuracy of picking was in the range of ±2 % (1σ), while external reproducibility ranged from −34 to +16 %. There was no significant difference between wet and dry picking. Samples that were concentrated by flotation generally yielded a lower number of specimens. Agglutinated species were under-represented in samples that were stained after washing and in the flotation concentrate. Size fractions showed a reduction of population density and Fisher alpha diversity index with increasing mesh size. Only half of the specimens and less than two-thirds of the species are captured if the >125 µm rather than >63 µm fraction is analysed.  
 +
<font size="2">([http://jm.lyellcollection.org/content/32/2/161.abstract ABSTRACT])
  
----Grunert, P., Hinsch, R., Sachsenhofer, R., Bechtel, A., Ćorić, S., Harzhauser, M., Piller, W.E., Sperl, H., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264817212001924 Early Burdigalian infill of the Puchkirchen Trough (North Alpine Foreland Basin, Central Paratethys): facies development and sequence stratigraphy]. Marine and Petroleum Geology, doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2012.08.009
+
----Schönfeld, J., Golikova, E., Korsun, S. and Spezzaferri, S., 2013. [http://jm.lyellcollection.org/content/32/2/161.abstract The Helgoland Experiment – assessing the influence of methodologies on Recent benthic foraminiferal assemblage composition]. Journal of Micropalaeontology 32, 161-182.  
  
  
==DISCOVERY OF ORDOVICIAN ''Bathysiphon'' - TEST STRUCTURE AND HABITAT OF A 'LIVING FOSSIL'==
+
==ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES DURING THE PETM IN SPITSBERGEN==
  
 
<font size="2">
 
<font size="2">
The giant, agglutinated foraminiferan ''Bathysiphon'' Sars, previously Triassic–Recent, occurs in much older sedimentary rock (Early Ordovician, late early Tremadocian) of Avalonia....... A felt-like, agglutinated test, a lumen packed with spherical structures (probable stercomata) and the domal ends of some specimens are consistent with modern ''Bathysiphon''. This report is the first time that cytoplasmic activity and stercomata formation have been used to refer fossil protists to a modern group. ''Bathysiphon'' differs from the Cambrian foraminiferan ''Platysolenites'' Pander, which has an open lumen without stercomata, but support a comparable, sediment deposit-feeding niche. ''Bathysiphon'' is truly a ‘living fossil’, with a mode of test construction, cytoplasmic activity that formed stercomata and a niche unchanged for almost 500 million years. Foraminiferans have not been found prior to the Cambrian Period, and the Early Cambrian appearance of agglutinated foraminiferans is part of the radiation of Phanerozoic communities.
+
The study deals with environmental changes during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) and its background conditions in Spitsbergen through analysis of benthic foraminiferal assemblages (FA) in a section drilled in the Paleogene Central Basin. The impact of this extreme global warming occurs here in prodelta shelf mudstones composing the lower part of the Gilsonryggen Member (Frysjaodden Formation). The start of the PETM perturbation is marked by a faunal turnover, in which the medium-diversity circumpolar ''Reticulophragmium'' assemblage was replaced by a low-diversity ''Trochammina'' fauna. During the hyperthermal period, benthic foraminiferal diversity decreased severely, while the dominance of small-sized taxa with epifaunal morphology strongly increased. This low-diversity fauna occurs in sediments with a reduced thorium/uranium ratio (proxy for oxygenation) and kaolinite enrichment (proxy for high humidity). The faunal changes were thus caused by the combined effects of hypoxic and hyposaline conditions in a stratified water column, due to extreme warming with its accompanying intensified hydrologic cycle. ......
<font size="2">([http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8536092# ABSTRACT])
+
<font size="2">([http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/19737 ABSTRACT])
 +
 
 +
----Nagy, J., Jargvoll, D., dypvik, H., Hochmann, M., Riber, L., 2013. [http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/19737 Environmental changes during the Paleocene—Eocene Thermal Maximum in Spitsbergen as reflected by benthic foraminifera]. Polar Research 32, 19737, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/polar.v32i0.19737.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
==THE ROLE OF FORAMINIFERA IN THE BENTHIC NITROGEN CYCLE OF THE PERUVIAN OMZ==
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Biogeosciences_front.jpg‎ ‎‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
 +
The discovery that foraminifera are able to use nitrate instead of oxygen as an electron acceptor for respiration has challenged our understanding of nitrogen cycling in the ocean. It was thought before that only prokaryotes and some fungi are able to denitrify. Rate estimates of foraminiferal denitrification have been very sparse and limited to specific regions in the oceans, not comparing stations along a transect of a certain region. Here, we present estimates of benthic foraminiferal denitrification rates from six stations at intermediate water depths in and below the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Foraminiferal denitrification rates were calculated from abundance and assemblage composition of the total living fauna in both surface and subsurface sediments, as well as from individual species specific denitrification rates. ......
 +
<font size="2">([http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/4767/2013/bg-10-4767-2013.html ABSTRACT])
  
----Landing, E., Reyes, S.P., Andreas, A.L., Bowser,S.S., in press. [http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8536092# First discovery of Early Palaeozoic ''Bathysiphon'' (Foraminifera) – test structure and habitat of a ‘living fossil’]. Geological Magazine, doi:10.1017/S0016756812000155
+
----Glock, N., Schönfeld, J., Eisenhauer, A., Hensen, C., Mallon, J., Sommer, S., 2013. [http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/4767/2013/bg-10-4767-2013.html The role of benthic foraminifera in the benthic nitrogen cycle of the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone]. Biogeosciences 10, 4767-4783.
  
  
==BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA AS PROXIES OF POLLUTION: THE CASE OF GUANABARA BAY==
+
==A GIANT FORAMINIFER THAT CONVERGES TO THE FEEDING STRATEGY OF CARNIVOROUS SPONGES==
  
 
<font size="2">
 
<font size="2">
Due to economic importance of Guanabara Bay, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted to investigate 88 surficial sediment samples in order to use the benthic foraminifera as indicators for the characterization of environmental variations. ...... <br/>
+
The foraminifer ''Spiculosiphon oceana'' sp. nov. is a giant (>4 cm) agglutinated astrorhizid, which makes the second known species of this unusual genus and its first Mediterranean record. It has a peculiar stalked, capitate, monothalamous test. Bleach digestion and X-ray microanalysis indicated the test to be made exclusively of siliceous sponge spicules agglutinated in organic cement. The organism stands on a hollow, 4 cm long, 0.5 cm thick stalk built with highly selected, long and thin spicule fragments, tightly cemented together in parallel to the main axis of the stalk. ...... ''Spiculosiphon'' species collect and arrange sponge spicules with high selectivity to recreate a body morphology that strongly converges to that of some carnivorous sponges, which allows these predatory foraminifera to exploit a prey capturing strategy similar to that of the carnivorous sponges. This idea is also consistent with our report of an additional, yet undetermined, ''Spiculosiphon'' species occurring in the same sublittoral Mediterranean cave where carnivorous sponges were first discovered.
'''Highlights'''
+
<font size="2">([http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/19737 ABSTRACT])
► We carried out geochemical and foraminiferal analyses on sediments of Guanabara Bay. ► Geochemical data show high concentration of heavy metals in the northern region. ► Foraminifera result affected differently by pollutants. ► The taxon ''Buliminella elegantissima'' correlates with anthropogenic pollutants. ► Data highlights the presence of sterile sediments not previously reported in the bay.
+
 
<font size="2">([http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X12002998 ABSTRACT])
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----Maldonado, M., López-Acosta, M., Sitja, C., Aguilar, R., García, S., Vavelet, J., 2013. [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/z03669p584f.pdf A giant foraminifer that converges to the feeding strategy of carnivorous sponges: ''Spiculosiphon oceana'' sp. nov. (Foraminifera, Astrorhizida)]. Zootaxa 3669(4), 571-584.
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==FORAMINIFERAL INFLUENCES ON MICROFABRICS OF MICROBIALITES==
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[[Image:PNAS_front.gif‎ |left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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...... Considerable knowledge exists about prokaryotic composition of microbialite mats (i.e., stromatolitic and thrombolitic mats), but little is known about their eukaryotic communities, especially regarding heterotrophic taxa. Thus, the heterotrophic eukaryotic communities of Highborne stromatolites and thrombolites were studied. Here, we show that diverse foraminiferal communities inhabit microbialite mat surfaces and subsurfaces; thecate foraminifera are relatively abundant in all microbialite types, especially thrombolitic mats; foraminifera stabilize grains in mats; and thecate reticulopod activities can impact stromatolitic mat lamination. Accordingly, and in light of foraminiferal impacts on modern microbialites, our results indicate that the microbialite fossil record may reflect the impact of the radiation of these protists.
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<font size="2">([http://www.pnas.org/content/110/24/9830.short ABSTRACT])
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----Bernhard, J.M., Edgcomb, V.P., Visscher, P.T., McIntyre-Wressnig, A., Summons, R.E., Bouxsein, M.L., Louis, L., Jeglinski, M., 2013. [http://www.pnas.org/content/110/24/9830.short Insights into foraminiferal influences on microfabrics of microbialites at Highborne Cay, Bahamas]. PNAS, 110(24), 9830-9834.
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==THE FORAMINIFERA FROM THE BAZARUTO ARCHIPELAGO (MOZAMBIQUE)==
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[[Image:NeuesJahrbuch_front.jpeg‎|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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Late Moscovian-Early Sakmarian fusulinid faunas of the Anatolian Platform were examined in three stratigraphic sections (Ozbek Tepe, Eskibey and Bademli) from the Eastern and Central Taurides. Eight fusulinid zones were identified and include 1.) the ''Fusulinella'' (''Fusulinella'') ''colaniae''-''Fusiella praetypica'' concurrent range zone, 2.) the ''Fusulinella'' (''Fusulinella'') ''bocki bocki'' concurrent range zone, 3.) the ''Protriticites ovatus''-''Quasifusulinoides'' aff. ''quasifusulinoides'' concurrent range zone, 4.) the ''Protriticites pseudomontiparus''-''Obsoletes'' cf. ''obsoletes'' concurrent range zone, 5.) the ''Montiparus paramontiparus'' range zone, 6.) the ''Triticites oezbekensis''-''Rauserites subobsoletus'' concurrent range zone, 7.) the ''Daixina'' (''B''.) ex gr. ''bosbytauensis''-''Daixina'' (''D''.) ex gr. ''robusta'' range zone and 8.) the ''Zellia nunosei''-''Pseudofusulinoides instabilis''-''Pseudofusulinoides convexus'' assemblage zone.
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<font size="2">([http://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/268/79915/Fusulinid_zonation_of_the_Late_Moscovian_Early_Sak ABSTRACT])
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----Okuyucu, C., 2013. [http://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/268/79915/Fusulinid_zonation_of_the_Late_Moscovian_Early_Sak Fusulinid zonation of the Late Moscovian-Early Sakmarian sequences from the Taurides, southern Turkey]. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 268(3), 237-258.
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==TAXONOMY, PHYLOGENY, AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF GENUS Involutina==
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[[Image:App-cov.jpg|left|80px|]]<font size="2">
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Early Jurassic aragonitic foraminifers are outstandingly well-preserved in the Marmorea crust, a multiphased ferromanganese layer limiting the Schnöll and Adnet formations (Adnet, Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria). This remarkable preservation, related to the pervasive impregnation of aragonitic tests prior to their recrystallization, allowed observing unknown diagnostic features of the genus ''Involutina'', which typifies the Suborder Involutinina. Thanks to a detailed examination of the Adnet specimens, this paper clarifies the taxonomy, systematic position, and phylogeny of ''Involutina''.  ......
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<font size="2">([http://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app20120056.html ABSTRACT])
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----Rigaud, S., Blau, J., Martini, R., Rettori, R., in press. [http://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app20120056.html Taxonomy, phylogeny, and functional morphology of the foraminiferal genus ''Involutina'']. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4202/app.2012.0056.
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----Donnici, S., Serandrei-Barbero, R., Bonardi, M., Sperle, M., in press. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X12002998 Benthic foraminifera as proxies of pollution: The case of Guanabara Bay (Brazil)]. Marine Pollution Bulletin, doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.06.024.
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==MIDDLE MIOCENE WARM-TEMPERATE CARBONATES OF CENTRAL PARATETHYS (MT. ZRINSKA GORA, CROATIA): PALEOENVIRONMENTAL RECONSTRUCTION==
  
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Carbonate deposits from Zrin in the Mt. Zrinska Gora were deposited in the SW part of the Central Paratethys Sea during the Middle Badenian (Middle Miocene). The studied section contains a rich fossil community of non-geniculate coralline red algae (Subfamily Melobesioideae), bryozoans, benthic and planktonic foraminifera, echinoderms, ostracods, molluscs, and calcareous nannoplankton. Based on lithological variations and changes in the biogenic components, four facies associations (FA) are distinguished. Their distribution points to skeletal production and sedimentation on a middle to proximal outer carbonate ramp. The main lithological feature of the section is an alternation of two lithofacies: fully lithified grainstone–rudstone and packstone, and semi-lithified rudstone–floatstone with a carbonate sandy matrix. ......
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<font size="2">([http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10347-012-0327-z ABSTRACT])
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----Martinuš, M., Fio, K., Pikelj, K., Aščić, Š., 2013. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10347-012-0327-z Middle Miocene warm-temperate carbonates of Central Paratethys (Mt. Zrinska Gora, Croatia): paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on bryozoans, coralline red algae, foraminifera, and calcareous nannoplankton]. Facies, 59(3), 481-504.
  
  
 
[[category:recent publications]]
 
[[category:recent publications]]

Latest revision as of 08:46, 10 November 2013