Benthic foraminifera and their response to hydrography, periodic hypoxic conditions and primary production in the Koljö fjord on the Swedish west coast

Abstract

The Koljö fjord on the Swedish west coast is a silled fjord characterised by strong stratification and stagnant bottom water, with periodically occurring hypoxic or anoxic conditions. In the Koljö fjord, renewal of the deep water generally occurs during winter. This study investigates how living benthic foraminifera react to hydrographic variations, periodic oxygen deficiency and variations in primary production. A series of monthly hydrographic measurements was made from August 1993 to December 1994, combined with sediment sampling along a (12–43 m) depth transect at five different sites. Monthly values of surface chlorophyll-a were available. Two periods of hypoxia to anoxia with one intervening period of oxic conditions, together with two autumn phytoplankton blooms and a spring phytoplankton bloom, made it possible to achieve the aims of this study. Below the pycnocline, three foraminiferal species: Elphidium excavatum clavatum, Elphidium incertum and Elphidium magellanicum represented more than 95% of the fauna. When oxygen content was very low, the foraminiferal fauna decreased but did not die out completely. A deep-water inflow in January 1994 caused the oxygen content to rise, but the foraminiferal population did not start to grow until three months later when the spring phytoplankton bloom sedimented out. Under oxic conditions, food availability seemed to limit the foraminiferal population. In itself, a very high organic content in the sediments does not seem to be a suitable food source; it is more likely that fresh phytoplankton is a potent food for these foraminifera. Reproduction of E. excavatum clavatum and E. incertum seems to have been triggered by increased food supply and sudden fluctuations in hydrographic variables. These foraminifera appear to grow from juvenile to adult in less than a month.