SHELL DISSOLUTION IN LARGER BENTHIC FORAMINIFERS EXPOSED TO PH AND TEMPERATURE EXTREMES: RESULTS FROM AN IN SITU EXPERIMENT

Abstract

Research Article| April 01, 2015 SHELL DISSOLUTION IN LARGER BENTHIC FORAMINIFERS EXPOSED TO PH AND TEMPERATURE EXTREMES: RESULTS FROM AN IN SITU EXPERIMENT Brienne E. Engel; Brienne E. Engel 1College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 830 1st St S., St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA2Molecular Oncology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Pamela Hallock; Pamela Hallock 5 1College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 830 1st St S., St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA 5Correspondence author. E-mail: pmuller@usf.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Roy E. Price; Roy E. Price 3School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Thomas Pichler Thomas Pichler 4FB 5 Geosciences, University of Bremen, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Journal of Foraminiferal Research (2015) 45 (2): 190–203. https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.45.2.190 Article history received: 06 Jun 2014 accepted: 18 Dec 2014 first online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Brienne E. Engel, Pamela Hallock, Roy E. Price, Thomas Pichler; SHELL DISSOLUTION IN LARGER BENTHIC FORAMINIFERS EXPOSED TO PH AND TEMPERATURE EXTREMES: RESULTS FROM AN IN SITU EXPERIMENT. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 2015;; 45 (2): 190–203. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.45.2.190 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 Areas where CO2-enriched gases discharge into shallow-marine environments can serve as natural laboratories to study the effects of elevated pCO2 (i.e., ocean acidification) on benthic communities. Hydrothermal vents in Tutum Bay, Ambitle Island, Papua New Guinea, occur at depths of ~10 m and are surrounded by a tropical fringing coral reef. Live specimens of seven species of larger benthic foraminifers were collected from a nearby reef location, placed in small mesh bags, and deployed for five days at six different sites along a gradient of temperature (60–29°C) and pH (5.9–8.1). Foraminiferal species that differ in shell structure (porcelaneous vs. hyaline) and composition (high- and intermediate-Mg calcite) were used in the experiment. Approximately 25% of the specimens, representing four of the seven species, retained normal symbiont color and exhibited minimal dissolution when exposed for five days to temperatures up to 60°C and pH as low as 6.2; shells of specimens that lost symbiont color during deployment exhibited extensive corrosion. More than 80% of the specimens, representing at least one of each species, retained normal symbiont color where the temperature was approximately 40°C and pH fluctuated between 5.9 and 7.4. These observations indicate that shells of reef-dwelling foraminifers can substantially resist dissolution, as long as organic matter is largely intact, under pH conditions sufficiently extreme to erase any fossil footprint. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.