Calcification acidifies the microenvironment of a benthic foraminifer (Ammonia sp.)

Calcification acidifies the microenvironment of a benthic foraminifer (Ammonia sp.)

Biometry and dissolution features of the benthic foraminifer Ammonia aomoriensis at high pCO2

Culturing experiments were performed with the benthic foraminifer Ammonia aomo riensis from Flensburg Fjord, western Baltic Sea. The experiments simulated a projected rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We exposed specimens to 5 seawater pCO2 levels ranging from 618 μatm (pH 7.9) to 3130 μatm (pH 7.2) for 6 wk. Growth rates and mortality differed significantly among pCO2 treatments. The hig...

Selective zircon accumulation in a new benthic foraminifer, Psammophaga zirconia, sp. nov.

Benthic foraminifera are single-celled eukaryotes that make a protective organic, agglutinated or calcareous test. Some agglutinated, single-chambered taxa, including Psammophaga Arnold, 1982, retain mineral particles in their cytoplasm, but the selective mechanism of accumulation is not clear. Here, we report the ability of a foraminiferal species to select and accumulate zircons and other hea...

Mercury-Pollution Induction of Intracellular Lipid Accumulation and Lysosomal Compartment Amplification in the Benthic Foraminifer Ammonia parkinsoniana

Heavy metals such as mercury (Hg) pose a significant health hazard through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. By penetrating cell membranes, heavy metal ions may lead to pathological conditions. Here we examined the responses of Ammonia parkinsoniana, a benthic foraminiferan, to different concentrations of Hg in the artificial sea water. Confocal images of untreated and treated specimens usi...

Mg/Ca temperature calibration for the benthic foraminifer Cibicidoides pachyderma

[1] The recent development of foraminiferal Mg/Ca as a paleotemperature proxy has enabled the extraction of global ice volume and local salinity from the more traditional paleotemperature proxy dO. The benthic foraminiferal genus Cibicidoides is widely used in paleoceanographic reconstructions because of its epifaunal habitat and cosmopolitan distribution, and it has received early attention in...