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GEOREF RECORD

Distribution of Foraminifera in a subtropical Brazilian estuarine system

Teresa Lima Diaz, Andre Rosch Rodrigues and Beatriz Beck Eichler
Distribution of Foraminifera in a subtropical Brazilian estuarine system
Journal of Foraminiferal Research (April 2014) 44 (2): 90-108

Abstract

The Santos Estuary, an estuarine system bordering the cities of Santos, Sao Vicente, and Cubatao in southeastern Brazil, contains the country's largest harbor and main industrial center that have been impacted by industrial and domestic effluents since the late 19 (super th) century. We report here on the distribution of benthic foraminifera and related environmental parameters in this estuary system during the summer and winter of 2007. The foraminiferal fauna is representative of mixohaline environments, and includes 107 live + dead taxa, of which 73 are calcareous benthic, 33 agglutinated, and one planktonic. Most of the calcareous specimens belong to the genera Ammonia, Elphidium, and Quinqueloculina and the species Nonionella atlantica. The living population was approximately 10% of the total foraminiferal fauna, and the dominant living species were similar to those in the total live + dead fauna. Ammonia beccarii was dominant in most of the stations during summer and winter. It could be considered opportunistic due to its high abundance in samples with low diversity and richness. It is not evident if the effects of human population density on the study area impacted the distribution of the foraminiferal fauna, because low proportions of deformed tests and low values of abundance, richness, and diversity were also found in pristine areas near Santos, Sao Vicente, and Cubatao.


ISSN: 0096-1191
EISSN: 1943-264X
Coden: JFARAH
Serial Title: Journal of Foraminiferal Research
Serial Volume: 44
Serial Issue: 2
Title: Distribution of Foraminifera in a subtropical Brazilian estuarine system
Affiliation: Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto Oceanografico, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Pages: 90-108
Published: 201404
Text Language: English
Publisher: Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research, Ithaca, NY, United States
References: 77
Accession Number: 2014-030368
Categories: Invertebrate paleontology
Document Type: Serial
Bibliographic Level: Analytic
Annotation: Includes appendix
Illustration Description: illus. incl. 3 tables, sketch maps
S24°00'00" - S23°49'60", W46°30'00" - W46°15'00"
Country of Publication: United States
Secondary Affiliation: GeoRef, Copyright 2017, American Geosciences Institute. Abstract, Copyright, Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research. Reference includes data from GeoScienceWorld, Alexandria, VA, United States
Update Code: 201419
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