Flavia Boscolo-Galazzo¹, Raphael Morard¹

¹ MARUM, Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences, Bremen University, Germany; fboscologalazzomarum.de

Planktonic foraminifera are calcifying zooplankton with a widespread occurrence in the ocean and with a spatially and temporally extensive fossil record, from which we derive much of our knowledge about their paleoecology. The study of the living organism in culture experiments as well as of organic molecules in the form of foraminiferal DNA, is increasingly providing new and complementary information on planktonic foraminiferal biology, genotype diversity, calcification and ecology. The fossil and molecular records of planktonic foraminifera as well as the study of the living organism, provide an invaluable combination of independent complementary tools to reconstruct plankton ecology, macroecological responses to environmental changes and species evolution. With this session we aim at bringing together researchers working on living, fossil and the molecular/DNA record of planktonic foraminifera to spur discussions on how to best integrate these different approaches and explore potential future research avenues for foraminiferal research.

Monika Doubrawa¹, David Evans², Robin Fentimen³, Matthias Kranner^4,5, Jacek Raddatz⁶

¹ University of Leuven, Belgium; monika.doubrawakuleuven.be
² University of Southampton, United Kingdom
³ University of Angers, France
⁴ Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria
⁵ Kiel University, Germany
⁶ GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany

Foraminiferal taxonomic compositions and geochemical methods are the foundations for successful reconstructions of past ocean and climate conditions on subannual to multi-million year timescales. Their calcite shells are arguably one of the most useful and most frequently analysed materials in paleoceanography. The reconstruction of various parameters such as temperature, salinity and ice volume, ocean circulation, carbon storage, and paleoproductivity is based on the measurement and empirical calibration of the isotopic and (trace) element composition of foraminiferal CaCO₃ to environmental variables of interest. Recent advances in calibrations and analytical methods such as LA-ICPMS, SIMS, TOFMS, and IRMS have highlighted the complexity of individual proxy systems on the one hand, but also the potential for new possibilities in paleoceanographic reconstruction on the other. Often, the integration of traditional assemblage work with (novel) geochemical proxies allows for a holistic insight into paleoenvironmental change. In this session we not only seek contributions that focus on novel developments in either analytical approaches or geochemical proxy calibrations in foraminifera, but also welcome contributions combining taxonomic with geochemical proxy based approaches.

Richard H. Fluegeman¹, Lizette Leon-Rodriguez², Renata Moura de Mello³

¹ Ball State University, United States of America; rfluegembsu.edu
² Ellington Geological Services, United States of America
³ Petrobras, Brazil

This session will focus on the integration of micropaleontology with other types of stratigraphic records (chemostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, etc.) toward the solution of broader geoscience problems.  The conveners are interested in applications of micropaleontology from a variety of chronostratigraphic, environmental, tectonic, and geographic settings.

The conveners are interested in the emerging relationship between micropaleontology and evolving stratigraphic disciplines such as chemostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy.  Micropaleontology has been an active area of stratigraphic research for more than a century but in the past two decades, sequence stratigraphy, cyclostratigraphy, and chemostratigraphy among other methodologies have been increasingly applied to stratigraphic correlation.  It is the purpose of this session to bring together micropaleontologists who are regularly integrating their results with those from diverse stratigraphic disciplines.  The session will allow for the presentation and discussion of micropaleontologic applications from a wide variety of chronostratigraphic and geographic settings.  The papers presented in the proposed session will serve as a starting point for expanding collaborations among micropaleontologists, stratigraphers and other geoscientists.   

Anjaly Govindankutty Menon¹, Christine Barras², Inge van Dijk², Daniela Eichner¹, Emmanuelle Geslin², Nicolaas Glock¹, Raphael Hubert-Huard¹, Yvonne Milker^1,3, Sha Ni ¹, Dharma Reyes Macaya^4,5,6, Gerhard Schmiedl^1,3

¹ University of Hamburg, Department of Earth System Sciences, Germany; anjaly.govindankutty.menonuni-hamburg.de
² University of Angers, France
³ University of Hamburg, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Germany
⁴ Heriot-Watt University, The Lyell Centre, United Kingdom
⁵ University of Bremen, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Germany
⁶ ANID, Millennium Science Initiative Program Nucleo Milenio UPWELL, Chile

Various species of foraminifera have specific adaptations to the environmental conditions in their ecological niche. This allows them to inhabit extreme habitats unfavorable to other species. For example, environments with low-oxygen levels are often inhabited by benthic foraminiferal faunas with low diversity. Metabolic and morphological adaptation strategies to oxygen depletion include denitrification and increased test porosity. Life in oxygen-depleted environments has recently received more attention, due to the ongoing ocean deoxygenation as a result of global warming and the input of artificial fertilizers. However, other extreme environments, such as hypo- and hypersaline ecosystems, deep-sea hydrothermal vents or acidic environments, also provide habitats for unique benthic foraminiferal faunas. Extreme habitats are often characterized by strong spatial gradients and temporal variations in environmental conditions. To better assess potential future changes in aquatic ecosystems, we can reconstruct the presence of extreme habitats in the past, and associated changes in benthic foraminiferal faunal structure, microhabitats, test morphology, and geochemistry. For this session, we invite contributions on benthic foraminifera from both modern and past extreme habitats, addressing their adaptive responses and strategies to extreme environments.

 

Olga Koukousioura¹, Orit Hyams-Kaphzan², Martin R. Langer³

¹ University of Cologne, Germany; okoukousuni-koeln.de
² Geological Survey of Israel, Israel
³ University of Bonn, Germany

Marine ecosystems are undergoing progressive disruptions attributed to a range of environmental perturbations, including pollutants, rising temperatures, plastic waste, the introduction of invasive species, and global change impacts. These threats severely affect many marine organisms including benthic foraminifera. Foraminifera are widely used indicators due to their environmental sensitivity, rapid turnover rates and abundance in both modern and fossil habitats. This session explores recent findings from a wide range of methodological approaches using foraminifera to study the impact of environmental change and discuss future research directions on this topic. The focus is on foraminiferal proxies and indicators from experimental, geochemical, molecular, and environmental studies with examples from modern and fossil environments.

Isabel Mendes¹, Julia Lübbers¹, Joachim Schönfeld²

¹ University of Algarve, CIMA, Portugal; imendesualg.pt
² GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany

This session is about the outstanding ability of foraminifera as recorders of environmental dynamics. They respond quickly to natural variations, environmental changes induced by human activities including pollution, and the impact of extreme events related to global warming. The faunal response may take place spatially on a local scale, over several years as the result of climatic changes, or even on shorter timescales in experimental settings. Thus, foraminiferal monitoring studies and distribution surveys contribute to assess the impact of present-day environmental conditions, to establish baseline reference conditions, and understand the impact of environmental dynamics through time.

The session welcomes all studies focusing on foraminiferal monitoring in general. Contributions should be grounded in field surveys, temporal data series, or experimental studies, including mesocosm experiments.