DISTRIBUTION OF FORAMINIFERA IN PUGET SOUND, WESTERN WASHINGTON, U.S.A.

Abstract

Research Article| July 01, 2013 DISTRIBUTION OF FORAMINIFERA IN PUGET SOUND, WESTERN WASHINGTON, U.S.A. Ruth A. Martin; Ruth A. Martin * Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Box 353010, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3010 *Correspondence author. E-mail: ruthm2@u.washington.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Elizabeth A. Nesbitt; Elizabeth A. Nesbitt Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Box 353010, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3010 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David E. Martin David E. Martin Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Box 353010, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3010 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Ruth A. Martin * Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Box 353010, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3010 Elizabeth A. Nesbitt Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Box 353010, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3010 David E. Martin Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Box 353010, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3010 *Correspondence author. E-mail: ruthm2@u.washington.edu Publisher: Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research Received: 21 Sep 2012 Accepted: 26 Mar 2013 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-264X Print ISSN: 0096-1191 © 2013 Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research Journal of Foraminiferal Research (2013) 43 (3): 291–304. https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.43.3.291 Article history Received: 21 Sep 2012 Accepted: 26 Mar 2013 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Ruth A. Martin, Elizabeth A. Nesbitt, David E. Martin; DISTRIBUTION OF FORAMINIFERA IN PUGET SOUND, WESTERN WASHINGTON, U.S.A.. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 2013;; 43 (3): 291–304. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.43.3.291 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 Puget Sound, the southern portion of the Salish Sea, has been intensely studied for its macrofauna, but lacks a comprehensive study of its benthic foraminifera. The Sound is a fjord-like lowland consisting of numerous smaller estuaries. Much of it has been heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities, and two locations have been designated as federal Superfund sites. The purpose of this investigation was to survey the benthic foraminifera present in Puget Sound and relate their distribution to environmental parameters. The 64 grab samples used were provided by the Washington Department of Ecology through their annual Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program and span the years 1997–2010. The investigation recorded 46 species of benthic foraminifera, with four species dominating the assemblages: Eggerella advena (Cushman), Elphidiella hannai (Cushman and Grant), Elphidium excavatum (Terquem), and Bucella frigida (Cushman). Agglutinated taxa were dominant in the northern Sound and parts of the southern Sound, but nearly absent in samples from the central Sound. Density and diversity indices were extremely variable throughout the Sound, even in samples taken from the same site over a number of years. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that no single environmental parameter analyzed was responsible for the distribution of foraminifera. Cluster analysis yielded four main groups dominated by the four taxa listed above. These clusters were heterogeneous in their distribution, with samples from the same sample site grouped in different clusters in different years. The extreme heterogeneity of the results indicates the need for a series of smaller-scale investigations focusing on individual embayments to better understand the foraminiferal distributions and to develop a foraminiferal monitoring tool unique to Puget Sound. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.