Foraminiferal assemblages in the Ubatuba Bay, south-eastern Brazilian Coast

Leticia Burone; Ana Maria S. Pires-Vanin

doi:10.3989/scimar.2006.70n2203

Authors

Leticia Burone Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de SãoPaulo (IOUSP)
Ana Maria S. Pires-Vanin Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de SãoPaulo (IOUSP)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2006.70n2203

Keywords:

live benthic foraminifera, surface sediment, Ubatuba, Brazil

Abstract

Live benthic foraminifera assemblages were studied in 40 surface sediment samples collected in the Ubatuba Bay (northern coast of São Paulo State) in order to investigate the relationship between the geological, physicochemical parameters and the ecological data. The area has significant contributions of terrestrial inputs from four rivers that flow into the bay. Biological data were analyzed with multivariate techniques of cluster analysis and a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was carried out for abiotic factors. The Suborder Rotaliina was dominant in the whole studied area. The result of the cluster analysis allowed us to recognize three groups of stations corresponding to three foraminifera assemblages and different environment conditions. The PCA revealed approximately the same three groups obtained with the cluster analysis. A slight increase in diversity in the outer bay was measured. The inner environment is dominated by A. tepida, evidencing local instabilities. Infaunal species are distributed in the middle region associated with mud and a high content of organic matter, while the most external region has similar percentages of epifaunal and infaunal, which indicates the higher energy condition in this portion of the bay. We also quantified the abnormal specimens that were mainly present in the inner bay, especially represented by A. tepida specimens.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Leticia Burone, Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de SãoPaulo (IOUSP)

Oceanología, Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay.

References

Abessa, D.M.S. and L. Burone. – 2003. Toxicidade de sedimentos dos rios situados na Enseada de Ubatuba (SP, Brasil). O Mundo da Saúde, 27(4): 564-569.

Alve, E. – 1991. Benthic foraminifera reflecting heavy metal pollution in Sorljord, Weasteern Norway. J. Foraminiferal Res. 34: 1641-1652.

Alve, E. – 1995. Benthic foraminifera response to estuarine pollution. A review. J. Foraminiferal Res., 25(3): 190-203.

Arnal, R.E. – 1955. Significance of abnormal foraminifera: Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. v. 66, 1641 p.

Bates, J.M. and R. S. Spencer. – 1979. Modification of foraminiferal trenes by the Chesapeake – Elisabeth sewage outfall, Virginia Beach, Virginia. J. Foraminiferal Res., 9: 125-140.

Bernhard, J.M. and S.S. Bowser. – 1992. Bacterial biofilms as a trophic resource for certain benthic foraminifera. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 38: 263-272. doi:10.3354/meps083263

Bhalla, S.N. and R. Nigam. – 1986. Recent foraminifera from polluted marine environment of Velsao Beach. South Goa. India. Rev. Paléobiol., 5: 43-46.

Boltovskoy, E. and R. Wright. – 1976. Recent Foraminifera. W. Junk (ed), The Hague.

Boltovskoy, E., D.B. Scott and F.S. Medioli. – 1991. Morphological variations of benthic foraminiferal test in response to changes in ecological parameters: a review. J. Paleontol., 65(2): 175-185.

Bonetti, C.– 2000. Foraminíferos como bioindicadores do gradiente de estresse ecológico em ambientes costeiros poluídos. Estudo aplicado ao sistema astuarino de Santos-São Vicente (SP, Brasil). Phd. Thesis, Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo.

Burone, L., P. Muniz., A.M.S. Pires-Vanin and M. Rodrigues. – 2003. Spatial distribution of organic in the surface sediments of Ubatuba Bay (Southeastern - Brazil). An. Acad. Bras. Cienc., 75(1): 1-14. doi:10.1590/S0001-37652003000100009

Burone, L., N. Venturini, P. Sprechmann, P. Valente and P. Muniz.- Foraminiferal responses to polluted sediments in the Montevideo coastal zone, Uruguay. Mar. Poll. Bull., 52: 61-73. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2005.08.007 PMid:16194551

Caralp, M.H. – 1989. Size and morphology of benthic foraminifer Melonis barleeanum: relationships with marine organic matter. J. Foraminiferal. Res., 19(3): 235-245.

CETESB (Companhia de Tecnologia de Saneamento Ambiental). – 1996. Relatório de Balneabilidade das Praias Paulistas – 1995. Secretaria do Meio Ambiente, São Paulo.

CETESB (Companhia de Tecnologia de Saneamento Ambiental). – 2000. Relatório de Balneabilidade das Praias Paulistas – 1999. Secretaria do Meio Ambiente, São Paulo.

Closs, D. and M.L. Madeira. – 1968. Seasonal variations of brackish foraminifera in the Patos Lagoon, southern Brazil: Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul, Escola de Geologia, Publicação especial, 15: 1-15.

Debenay, J.P., E. Geslin, B.B. Eichler, W. Duleba, F. Sylvestre and P. Eichler. – 2001. Foraminiferal assemblages in a hypersaline lagoon Araruama (RJ) Brazil. J. Foraminiferal Res., 31(2): 133-151. doi:10.2113/0310133

Diz, P., G. Francés, S. Costas, C. Souto and I. Alejo. – 2004. Distribution of benthic foraminifera in coarse sediments, Ría de Vigo, NW Iberian margin. J. Foraminiferal Res., 34(4): 258-275. doi:10.2113/34.4.258

Kitazato, H. – 1994. Foraminiferal microhabitats in four marine environments around Japan: J. Foraminifera. Res., 24: 29-41.

Kovach, W.L. – 1999. MVSP – A Multivariate Statistical Package for Windows, ver. 3.1. Kovach Computing Services, Pentraeth, Wales.

Langer, M.R. and C.A. Gehring. – 1993. Bacteria farming: a possible strategy of some smaller, motile foraminifera. J. Foraminiferal Res., 23: 40-46.

Loeblich, A.R. and H. Tappan. – 1988. Foraminiferal Genera and their Classification. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.

Mahiques, M.M. – 1992. Variações temporais na sedimentação quaternária dos embaiamentos da região de Ubatuba, Estado de São Paulo. Phd. Thesis, Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo.

Mahiques, M.M. – 1995. Dinâmica sedimentary atual nas enseadas da região de Ubatuba, Estado de São Paulo. Bol. Inst. Oceanog. São Paulo., 43(2): 111-122.

Mahiques, M.M., M.G. Tessler and V.V Furtado. – 1998. Characterization of energy gradient in enclosed bays of Ubatuba region, South-eastern, Brazil. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 47: 431-446. doi:10.1006/ecss.1998.0368

Milligan, L.B. and M. C. Cooper. 1987. Methodology Review: Clustering Methods. Appl. Psychol. Meas., 2(4): 329-354. doi:10.1177/014662168701100401

Murray, J.W. – 1973. Distribution and Ecology of Living Benthic Foraminiferids. Heinemann, London.

Murray, J.W. – 1991. Ecology and Paleoecology of Benthic Foraminifera. Longman, Harlow.

Pielou, E.C. – 1975. Ecological diversity. John Wiley, New York.

Samir, A.M. and A.B. El-Din. – 2001. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages and morphological abnormalities as pollution proxies in two Egyptian bays. Mar. Micropaleontol., 41:193-227. doi:10.1016/S0377-8398(00)00061-X

Sanches, T.M. – 1992. Distribuição dos foraminíferos recentes na região de Ubatuba, São Paulo MSc. Thesis. Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.

Seigle, G.A. – 1971. A preliminary note on the relationship between foraminifers and pollution in two Puerto Rican bays. Caribb. J. Sci., 11: 93-98.

Shannon, C.E. and W.W. Weaver. – 1963. The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.

Sharifi, A.R., L.W. Corudace and R.L. Austin. – 1991. Benthic foraminiferids as pollution indicators in Southampton Water, southern England, United Kingdom. J. Micropaleontological, 10(1) : 109-113.

Sneath, P.H. and R.R. Sokal. – 1973. Numerical taxonomy. The principles and practice of numerical classification. San Francisco, W.H. Freeman and Co.

Sturrock, S. and J.W. Murray. – 1981. Comparison of low energy marine middle shelf foraminiferal faunas, Celtic Sea and western English Channel. In: Neale, J. W., Brasier M (eds), Microfossil from recent and fossil shelf seas, pp. 251-260. Chichester, Ellis Horwood.

Suguio, K. – 1973. Introdução à sedimentologia. São Paulo, Edgar Blücher/ Editora da Universidade de São Paulo (EDUSP).

Tufescu, M. – 1968. Ammonia tepida (Cushman) (ord. Foraminifera). Some features of its variability in the Black Sea Basin. Rev. Roumaine Biol. Zool., 13: 169-177.

Vénèc-Peyré, M.T. – 1981. Les foraminifères et la pollution: étude de la microfaune de la Cale du Dourduff (embouchure de la Rivière de Morlaix). Cah. Biol. Mar., 22: 25-33.

Vilela, C., D.S. Batista., J.A. Batista-Neto, M. Crapez and J.J. Mcallister. – 2004. Benthic foraminifera distribution in high polluted sediments from Niteroi Harbor (Guanabara Bay), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. An Acad. Braas. Ciênc., 76(1): 161-171.

Walton, W.R. – 1952. Techniques for recognition of living foraminifera. Cushman. Found. Foram. Res., 3(2): 56-60.

Walton, W.R. and B. Sloan. – 1990. The genus Ammonia Brünnich. 1972: its geographic distribution and morphological variability. J. Foraminiferal Res., 20: 128-156.

Watkins, J.G. – 1961. Foraminiferal ecology around the Orange County, California, ocean sewer outfall. Micropaleontology, 7: 199-206. doi:10.2307/1484279

Yanko, V., J. Kronfeld and A. Flexer. – 1994. Response of benthic foraminifera to various pollution sources: implications for pollution monitoring. J. Foraminiferal Res., 24(1): 1-17.

Yanko, V., M. Ahmad and M. Kaminski. – 1998. Morphological deformities of benthic foraminiferal test in response to pollution by heavy metals: implications for pollution monitoring: J. Foraminiferal Res., 28: 177-200.