EPIPHYTIC FORAMINIFERA ALONG A CLIMATIC GRADIENT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Abstract

Research Article| July 01, 2001 EPIPHYTIC FORAMINIFERA ALONG A CLIMATIC GRADIENT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA T. A. Semeniuk T. A. Semeniuk 1 21 Glenmere Rd., Warwick WA 6024, Australia 1Current Address: Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography, ETH-Zentrum, Sonneggstrasse 5, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland. E-mail address: [e-mail] Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information T. A. Semeniuk 1 21 Glenmere Rd., Warwick WA 6024, Australia 1Current Address: Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography, ETH-Zentrum, Sonneggstrasse 5, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland. E-mail address: [e-mail] Publisher: Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research Received: 21 Mar 1999 Accepted: 04 Jan 2001 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-264X Print ISSN: 0096-1191 © 2001 Journal of Foraminiferal Research Journal of Foraminiferal Research (2001) 31 (3): 191–200. https://doi.org/10.2113/31.3.191 Article history Received: 21 Mar 1999 Accepted: 04 Jan 2001 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation T. A. Semeniuk; EPIPHYTIC FORAMINIFERA ALONG A CLIMATIC GRADIENT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 2001;; 31 (3): 191–200. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/31.3.191 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyJournal of Foraminiferal Research Search Advanced Search Abstract The presence of Posidonia australis seagrass habitat along 1000 km of the Western Australian coast provides an opportunity to study variation in epiphytic foraminiferal populations along a climatic gradient. Epiphytic foraminifera were collected in summer and winter from three nearshore shallow-water sites, which span a north-to-south gradient in climate from subtropical semi-arid to subtropical humid. Living epiphytic assemblages at each geographic site are distinct. Warmer water assemblages are characterized by Peneroplis spp. Vertebralina, Amphisorus and Marginopora, whereas Lamellodiscorbis and Rosalina spp characterize cooler water assemblages. The differences in assemblage composition partly reflect a north-to-south change in abundance of species related to climate, but also reflect local factors. Trends related to the climatic gradient include a decrease in miliolid and buliminid specimens and taxa, as well as a decrease in species with tropical affinity from north-to-south. Seasonal sampling at each geographic site also shows a decrease in miliolid and buliminid specimens and taxa, as well as a decrease in species with tropical affinity between summer and winter. This suggests that both regional and seasonal differences in epiphytic foraminiferal populations reflect a spatial vs. temporal response to change in sea temperature. Porcellaneous taxa are particularly sensitive to both regional and seasonal changes in sea temperature and appear to be good indicators of climatic setting. Using selected and critical species of foraminifera, it is possible to divide the subtropical region of Western Australia, traditionally viewed as a single biogeographic province, into at least two sub-climatic regions. Such refinement would be useful for interpreting paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental settings of fossil assemblages. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.