Abstract
Calcium ion storage and movements within foraminiferal cells were observed using the fluorescent cell‐permeant calcium indicator Fluo‐3 AM. Living specimens of the shallow‐water benthic foraminifer Ammonia beccarii were incubated with 8 μM Fluo‐3 AM in both natural seawater and calcium‐free artificial seawater. No fluorescence was observed in specimens that were incubated in Fluo‐3 AM/calcium‐free seawater, while fluorescent emission was identified in all foraminifera that were incubated in Fluo‐3 AM/natural seawater. In another series of experiments, juvenile specimens were incubated with Fluo‐3 AM to trace calcium ion activity during the process of chamber formation. The method described here is a potential tool to observe the flow of calcium ions within living foraminiferal cells and may yield valuable information on the process of calcite precipitation.
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