Recent Foraminifera From the Firth of Clyde

Seventy-four samples were collected from the central part of the Firth of Clyde; sixty-three of these were collected with a Van Veen Grab, the remainder with a 10 cm sq. tray from intertidal sand flats. The sediment was analysed and divided into seven categories using the Wentworth scales gravel, sandy gravel, gravelly sand, sand, muddy sand, sandy mud and mud. Sixty-five of the stations yielded Foraminifera, belonging to fifty species, of which thirteen were predominant, constituting 76% of the total population. Living individuals were rare except in the shallow water, but this may have reflected the method of sampling. The distribution of the dead specimens was examined by cluster analysis, using Jaccard's Coefficient. This indicated the presence of eight thanatotopes which were principally controlled by type of sediment and depth of water. Four thanatotopes are characteristic of shallow water; one of these is from intertidal sand flats, the second from sands and gravels of about 1 m depth of water, the third from sandy sediments of average depth 14 m (range 5 - 45 m), the fourth from muddy sands of 12 - 16 m depth. The remaining four thanatotopes were from deeper water, average depth 44m, with muddy sediments. Diversity is greatest in shallow water sands and gravelly sands (1 - 45 m), and the distribution of living species in the shallow water can be correlated with the shallow water thanatotopes. The dominant species of the areas is Egerella scabra. The species recorded are similar to those found in other places around the British Isles

Distribution and ecology of recent benthic Foraminifera from Tarut Bay, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia

Abstract available : p.iii-i