TY - CHAP
T1 - Benthic Foraminifera: Inhabitants of Low-Oxygen Environments
AU - Koho, K.A.
AU - Piña-Ochoa, E.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Benthic foraminifera, single-celled eukaryotes, constitute a significant part of the living community in low-oxygen or even oxygen-depleted marine environments. Although the diversity is typically low and the dominance high, selected species appears to thrive in such “hostile” environments. In this chapter, the spatial distribution of modern benthic foraminifera, inhabiting the low-oxygen environments from the eutrophic, hypoxic continental shelf settings to the deep ocean oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), is discussed and typical assemblage composition outlined. Furthermore, the in-sediment distribution, or foraminiferal microhabitat, is summarized, and focus is given on species encountered in the deeper hypoxic and anoxic sediment units. Finally, current laboratory experiments and survival strategies including nitrate storage and the physiological role of chloroplasts and bacterial husbandry of foraminifera living in low-oxygen environments are discussed. Recent advances in our understanding of the foraminiferal role in the marine N-cycle and future directions in foraminiferal ecology studies are also addressed
AB - Benthic foraminifera, single-celled eukaryotes, constitute a significant part of the living community in low-oxygen or even oxygen-depleted marine environments. Although the diversity is typically low and the dominance high, selected species appears to thrive in such “hostile” environments. In this chapter, the spatial distribution of modern benthic foraminifera, inhabiting the low-oxygen environments from the eutrophic, hypoxic continental shelf settings to the deep ocean oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), is discussed and typical assemblage composition outlined. Furthermore, the in-sediment distribution, or foraminiferal microhabitat, is summarized, and focus is given on species encountered in the deeper hypoxic and anoxic sediment units. Finally, current laboratory experiments and survival strategies including nitrate storage and the physiological role of chloroplasts and bacterial husbandry of foraminifera living in low-oxygen environments are discussed. Recent advances in our understanding of the foraminiferal role in the marine N-cycle and future directions in foraminiferal ecology studies are also addressed
U2 - 10.1007/978-94-007-1896-8_14
DO - 10.1007/978-94-007-1896-8_14
M3 - Chapter
SN - 978-94-007-1895-1
T3 - Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology
SP - 249
EP - 285
BT - Anoxia: Evidence for Eukaryote Survival and Paleontological Strategies
A2 - Altenbach, A.V.
A2 - Bernhard, J.M.
A2 - Seckbach, J.
PB - Springer
ER -