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The subject of this study was to provide the link between benthic foraminiferal assemblages and the surrounding environments. Stained sediment samples were collected from northeast and southwest South China Sea. In addition to the faunal census, cluster analysis and the stable isotope of benthic foraminiferal shells were measured. The results were compared with other parameters, such as %TOC, %CaCO3, and coarse fraction in the sediment. The spatial distribution of stained and total benthic foraminifera seems not to be related with either TOC contents in sediment or the sampling water depth. This is probably because of the TOC contents may not reflect the food supply directly. Cluster analysis of the faunal assemblages in Kaoping submarine canyon shows that all species in this study could be divided into three main groups. The first group is the shallow-intermediate infauna. It distributes in the inner shelf and the proportion decreases as the water depth increased. The second group is those species live in the shallow water. The third group is infauna along the outer shelf and slope. The cluster analysis of the faunal assemblages in the Sunda Shelf can be also divided into three groups. The first group is infaunal taxa. The second is epifauna- shallow infauna and disseminates in the shallow water. The third group is epifaunal taxa. The result of stable isotope of benthic foraminiferal shells in Kaoping submarine canyon does not show any clear relationship between oxygen and carbon isotopes. It is possibly because the selected species is not suitable for isotope analysis or the specimens are not sufficient. But the isotope measurements obtained from the Sunda Shelf reveal the great consistence with the variation of temperature and salinity in bottom water. Some species found in the Sunda Shelf even have great potential in paleoceanography study.

Two drilled cores were collected from the Jhuoshuei River delta for this study, which is focused on the analyses of sedimentological, statistical analysis, AMS C14 dating and paleoenvironment interpretation based on the benthic foraminiferal fossils. Foraminiferal shell do not exist between 30000 and 12000 yr B.P., indicating the environment of this sections might be terrestrial. Between 12000 and 8000 yr B.P., the southern core do not have traces of foraminifera, suggesting the deposition site was terrestrial. The northern core contains the benthic foraminiferal shell between 12000 and 9000 yr B.P. The foraminiferal assemblage indicates the sedimentation might be a inner shelf like enviroment. An estuarine like environment was suggested between 9000 and 8000 yr B.P.. Between 8000 and 6000 yr B.P., foraminiferal cluster analysis indicates a middle to inner shelf environment at the southern core site; a inner shelf at the northern core. From 6000 to 3000 yr B.P., foraminiferal cluster analysis indicates a inner shelf at the south core while northern core foraminifera became fewer and the environment gradually changing to terrestrial facies. From 3000 yr B.P. upwards, foraminiferal cluster analysis indicates a shallower inner shelf at the southern core. From 2000 yr B.P. to today, the southern core changed to terrestrial.

The surface sediments off Southwestern Taiwan were collected during three different cruises in May 2009, November 2009, and March 2010, respectively. The concentrations of chlorophyll-a and phaeopigment, as well as benthic foraminifera species, were analyzed. The results show that the concentration of chlorophyll-a decreases with the distance from the shore, and the concentration of chlorophyll-a also decreases with increasing water depth. The concentration of phaeopigment seems to have no significant relationship with the water depth. The relationships between the concentrations of benthic foraminifera, chlorophyll-a, and phaeopigment are also not significant. Because samples were collected from different water depths on the continental shelf, slope and in a canyon, the oceangraphic setting therefore may be one of the main factors which influences the distribution pattern of benthic foraminifera. According to the EOF analysis, the water depth in sampling sites plays a very important role in terms of the distribution of living benthic foraminifera in this study. The distribution do not show significant difference between collecting seasons. Finally, the concentrations of the chlorophyll-a and phaeopigment decrease drastically in a downcore record. Quinqueloculina spp., an epifaunal foraminifer, shows a significant peak concentration in the depth of 5-6 cm downcore. Bioturbation probably was responsible for this change.

The objective for this study was to provide the insight into the link between benthic foraminiferal assemblages and the surrounding environment. Stained sediment samples were collected from the continental shelf and slope off the southwest Taiwan, including the Kao-ping Submarine Canyon. In addition to faunal census, total organic carbon (TOC), carbonate, and coarse fraction of the sediments were also measured. Nevertheless, the downcore record of the excess 210Pb from selected sites offers the constraint for stratigraphy time frame for discussion. The benthic foraminiferal assemblages were analyzed by statistics. Clusters analysis shows that all species present in this study could be divided into two groupings. One is those distributed in outer shelf and the other is those found in the inner shelf of the southwest Taiwan. Different from previous studies, the spatial distribution of stained benthic foraminifera seems not to be related with TOC contents in the sediment and water depth. Both the diversity index and Eqitability show that sites inside of the canyon have lower values. The higher Living/Total ratios and lower dead tests at the head of Kao-ping Submarine Canyon than adjacent area might be the effect of migration. Furthermore, the species within the canyon are similar to the southern and northern continental shelf. These findings indicate that the spatial distribution of benthic forams within canyon might be the effect of transport, which could result from the complex interaction between tides and currents. Augmented with the profiles of excess 210Pb, the temporal variation of benthic foraminifera was revealed. Generally there is a progressive decrease in the abundance of Ammonia sp.. It is possible that the diminishing trend was caused by the increase of anthropogenic activity for the last 30 years.

This study used Jumbo Piston Core 126, collected from the Nathaniel B. Palmer during cruise NBP10-01, to investigate environmental variability in Barilari Bay, western Antarctic Peninsula as part of the LARsen Ice Shelf System, Antarctica (LARISSA) project. A total of 107 samples were collected every 20cm from a 21.42m sediment core. Benthic foraminiferal data from Jumbo Piston Core 126 was analyzed using Principal Component (PC), Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), and cluster analyses to assist in the Holocene oceanographic and climatic interpretation of Barilari Bay. The first three principal components explain 79.5% of the variance in the foraminiferal abundance data. PC1 comprises 49.6% of the variance and represents the Bulimina aculeata assemblage. PC2 and PC3 explain 16.3% and 13.6% of the variance and characterize the Fursenkoina fusiformis and Pseudobolivina antarctica assemblages, respectively. F. fusiformis assemblage represents the presence of a less saline water mass associated with ice shelf decay. The agglutinated P. antarctica assemblage is indicative of Hyper Saline Shelf Water (HSSW). TheB. aculeata assemblage is associated with Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) (Ishman and Domack, 1994) Sediments from ~1100-950 calibrated years Before Present (cal. yr BP) are characterized by theB. aculeata assemblage, indicating the presence of UCDW. At ~950 cal. yr BP the UCDW receded coincident with glacial conditions observed during what is interpreted as the Little Ice Age. The ~950-350 cal. yr BP interval represents glacial conditions interpreted from the high PC scores of the P. antarctica assemblage and low foraminiferal abundances due to HSSW and a high sedimentation rate from glacial runoff. Intermittent pulses of UCDW are observed in the 950-350 cal. yr BP interval, expressed by the PC peaks in the B. aculeata assemblage. Between ~300 and 100 cal. yr BP the middle of the fjord was dominated by the F. fusiformis assemblage, suggesting ice shelf decay and open marine conditions. At ~50 cal. yr BP UCDW progressed back into Barilari Bay and is currently the dominant water mass.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2015-07-08T15:00:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Carolina Jardim Leão.pdf: 5104578 bytes, checksum: 92c8f28d837460c289d345c065fa1b2f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-08T15:00:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carolina Jardim Leão.pdf: 5104578 bytes, checksum: 92c8f28d837460c289d345c065fa1b2f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Milton Valente / A distribuição das associações e abundância de espécies de foraminíferos bentônicos está condicionada a diversos fatores ecológicos, ligados intrinsecamente a aspectos físicos e químicos dos oceanos. A partir de 68 amostras provenientes de dois testemunhos do talude continental da Bacia de Santos (aproximadamente 2.000 metros de lâmina d’água), analisou-se a fauna de foraminíferos bentônicos, bem como os isótopos estáveis de carbono e oxigênio das carapaças. Por meio do estudo sistemático da fauna de foraminíferos bentônicos foram identificados 68.998 espécimes pertencentes a 123 espécies. A caracterização ecológica das espécies identificadas, somada à análise quantitativa de seus padrões de distribuição, possibilitou o registro de alterações no conjunto microfaunístico, atribuídas aos diferentes eventos climáticos. As maiores flutuações na abundância relativa ao longo dos testemunhos resultam dos padrões das três principais espécies: Pseudoparrella exigua, Alabaminella weddellensis e Cassidulina californica. P. exigua tem maior abundância nos estágios glaciais, caracterizando esses períodos como fortemente influenciados por aportes sazonais de fitodetritos, enquanto A. weddellensis domina nos estágios interglaciais, indicando uma deposição mais intensa e contínua de material orgânico. Já C. californica, que teve abundância expressiva tanto em glaciais como em interglaciais, responde a quantidades elevadas de carbono orgânico total nos sedimentos. Embora sejam indicadoras de alta produtividade, essas espécies não apresentaram uma ligação estreita com as águas ricas em nutrientes que dominam nos períodos glaciais. Porém, variações na abundância relativa sugerem períodos com distintas intensidades de fluxo de nutrientes e diferentes origens da matéria orgânica depositada no assoalho oceânico nos últimos 545 mil anos. / The distribution of assemblage and species abundance is conditioned to several ecological factors, related to physical and chemical oceanic aspects. Were analyzed 68 samples of two cores collected in continental slope of Santos Basin (~2,000 m water depth) in relation to the benthic foraminiferal fauna, as well as the stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen extracted in shells. Through the systematic study of the benthic foraminiferal fauna were identified 68,998 specimens belonging to 123 species. The ecological characterization of species, in addition to the quantitative analysis of the distribution patterns in the cores, allows the observation of changes in the abundance of certain species, attributed to different climatic events. The largest fluctuations in relative abundance along the cores result from the pattern of three main species: Pseudoparrella exigua, Alabaminella weddellensis e Cassidulina californica. Pseudoparrella exigua is more abundant during glacial stages, characterizing these periods as strongly influenced by seasonal phytodetritus input, while Alabaminella weddellensis dominates in the interglacial stages, indicating a more intense and continuous deposition of organic material. Cassidulina californica, that had significant abundance in both stages, responds to high amount of total organic carbon in sediments. Even being indicative of high productivity, these species did not show a close link with the nutrient-rich waters that dominate the glacial stages. However, variations in relative abundance suggest periods with different intensities of flow of nutrients and different sources of organic matter deposited on the ocean floor in the last 545 kyr.

Understanding how coral reefs have developed in the past is crucial for placing contemporary ecological and environmental change within appropriate reef-building timescales (i.e. centennial to millennial). On Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR), coral reefs situated within nearshore settings on the inner continental shelf are a particular priority. This is due to their close proximity to river point sources, and therefore susceptibility to reduced water quality as the result of extensive modification of adjacent river catchments following European settlement in the region (ca. 1850 CE). However, the extent of water quality decline and its impact on the coral reefs of the GBR’s inner-shelf remains contentious and is confounded by a paucity of long-term (> decadal) datasets. Central to the on-going debate is uncertainty related to the impact of increased sediment loads, relative to the natural movement and resuspension of terrigenous sediments, which have accumulated on the inner-shelf over the last ~6,000 years. The main aim of this thesis was to characterise and investigate the vertical development of turbid nearshore coral reefs on the central GBR. This aim was achieved through the recovery of 21 reef cores (3 - 5 m in length) from five proximal turbid nearshore reefs, currently distributed across the spectrum of reef ‘geomorphological development’ within the Paluma Shoals reef complex (PSRC). The recovered reef cores were used to establish detailed depositional and palaeoecological records for the investigation of the (1) internal development and vertical accretionary history of the PSRC; and (2) compositional variation in turbid nearshore coral and benthic foraminiferal assemblages during vertical reef accretion towards sea level. Established chronostratigraphic and palaeoecological records were further used to assess the impact of post-European settlement associated water quality change in a turbid nearshore reef setting on the central GBR. Radiocarbon dating (n = 96 dates) revealed reef initiation within the PSRC to have occurred between ~2,000 and 1,000 calibrated years before present, with subsequent reef development occurring under the persistent influence of fine-grained (< 0.063 mm) terrigenous sediments. The internal development of the PSRC was characterised by discrete reef facies comprised of a loose coral framework with an unconsolidated siliciclastic-carbonate sediment matrix. A total of 29 genera of Scleractinian coral and 86 genera of benthic foraminifera were identified from the palaeoecological inventory of the PSRC. Both coral and benthic foraminiferal assemblages were characterised by distinct assemblages of taxa pre-adapted to sediment stress (i.e. low light availability and high sedimentation). At the genus level, no discernable evidence of compositional change in either coral or benthic foraminiferal assemblages was found, relative to European settlement. Instead, variations in assemblage composition were driven by intrinsic changes in prevailing abiotic conditions under vertical reef accretion towards sea level (e.g. hydrodynamic energy, light availability, and sedimentation rate). These findings therefore highlight the importance for considering reef ‘geomorphological development’ when interpreting contemporary reef ecological status. Furthermore, this research emphasises the robust nature of turbid nearshore reefs and suggests that they may be more resilient to changes in water quality than those associated with environmental settings where local background sedimentary conditions are less extreme (e.g. towards the inner/mid-shelf boundary). To this end, this thesis presents new baseline records with which to assess contemporary ecological and environmental change within turbid nearshore settings on the central GBR.

La marge ibérique est un milieu biologiquement productif régit par l'influence d'un upwelling saisonnier et des apports continentaux. Les foraminifères benthiques sont des protistes matins qui présentent une grande sensibilité aux conditions environnementales. Ils apparaissent ainsi comme des bio-indicateurs particulièrement efficaces dans ce type de contexte. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, les faunes de foraminifères benthiques, vivants, morts et fossiles prélevées sur un total de 23 carottes interfaces et deux carottes et deux carottes piston, essentiellement situées au débouché de quatre feluves ouest-ibériques majeurs (Douro, Mondego, Tage et Sado) ont été étudiés.Cette analyse faunistique, conjointe à des mesures sédimentaires et géochimiques a permis d'identifier l'impact de la qualité de la matière organique, et donc des apports fluviatiles sur la distribution des faunes vivantes en période hivernale. La comparaison des faunes mortes et vivantes sur les premiers centimètres de sédiments illustre la variation saisonnière de la réponse faunistique à l'upwelling et aux apports continentaux. Elle met également en évidence l'impact des processus taphonomiques sur la conservation de ces bio-indicateurs en vue de permettre une meilleure compréhension du signal fossile de ces faunes. L'application paléoenvironnementale de ces bio-indicateurs a été menée sur une carotte longue prélevée au large du Tage qui permet une reconstruction des derniers 5700 ans cal. BP. Elle a permis de mettre en évidence des périodes caractérisées par des apports importants de matière organique issus du fleuve ainsi que des variations de l'intensité de l'upwelling. / The Iberian Margin is a highly productive system driven by coastal upwelling and river inputs. Benthic foraminifera are marine protists particularly sensitive to environmental conditions. Hence they appear well suited bio-indicators for such environment. In the framework of this thesis, living, dead and fossil benthic foraminifera were analized on 23 surface sediment cores and two piston cores essentially from locations off the major rivers of the Portuguese Coast (Douro, Mondego, Tagus and Sado). This faunal analysis, combined with sedimentary and geochemical measurements allow thhe identification of the impact of fluvial exports and organic matter quality during the late winter period. The comparison of dead and living communities, on the first few centimeters of the sediment, shows the seasonal variation of faunas controlled by upwelling activity and riverine discharges intensity. The impact of taphonomical processes on the preservation of these bio-indicators is also investigated in the perspective of a better understanding ofthe fossil signal of these faunas. The paleoenvironmental application of these bio-indicators was then conducted on a 10 m long core from the Tagus shelf that allows paleoreconstruction for the last 5,700 cal. yr BP. The fossil benthic foraminifera record shows that some periods were characterized by intense river runoff and others by variable intensity of the seasonal upwelling.