Evolution of Paleocene to Early Eocene larger benthic foraminifer assemblages of the Indus Basin,Pakistan

Afzal, J., Williams, M., Leng, M.J., Aldridge, R.J. & Stephenson, M.H. 2011: Evolution of Paleocene to Early Eocene larger benthic foraminifer assemblages of the Indus Basin, Pakistan. Lethaia, Vol. 44, pp. 299–320. The Paleocene–Early Eocene carbonate successions of the Indus Basin in Pakistan formed on the northwestern continental shelf margin of the Indian Plate in the eastern Tethys Ocean. Based on larger benthic foraminifera (LBF), eight Tethyan foraminiferal biozones (SBZ1–SBZ8) spanning the Paleocene to Early Eocene interval are identified. The base of the Eocene is identified by the first appearance of Alveolina sp. Other stratigraphically important LBFs that are characteristic of the earliest Eocene are Ranikothalia nuttalli, Discocyclina dispansa and Assilina dandotica. Stable isotope analysis through the Paleocene–Eocene (P–E) boundary interval identifies more positive δ¹³C values for the Late Paleocene (+3.4‰ to +3.0‰) and lower values (+2.7‰ to +1.6‰) for the earliest Eocene. However, there is insufficient sampling resolution to identify the maximum negative δ¹³C excursion of the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum. During Late Paleocene times LBF assemblages in the Indus Basin were taxonomically close to those of west Tethys, facilitating biostratigraphic correlation. However, this faunal continuity is lost at the P–E boundary and the earliest Eocene succession lacks typical west Tethys Nummulites, while Alveolina are rare; LBFs such as Miscellanea and Ranikothalia continue to dominate in the Indus Basin. The absence of Nummulites from the earliest Eocene of Pakistan and rarity of Alveolina, elsewhere used as the prime marker for the base of the Eocene, may imply biogeographical barriers between east and west Tethys, perhaps caused by the initial stages of India‐Asia collision. Later, at the level of the Eocene SBZ8 Biozone, faunal links were re‐established and many foraminifera with west Tethys affinities appeared in east Tethys, suggesting the barriers to migration ceased. □Biostratigraphy, Eocene, India‐Asia collision, larger benthic foraminifera, palaeoecology, Paleocene.     

Recent benthic foraminiferal assemblages in deep high-energy environments from the Gulf of Cadiz (Spain)

The benthic environment in the Gulf of Cadiz, north-eastern Atlantic, is strongly affected by the Mediterranean outflow water undercurrent (MOW) which flows northwards along the western Iberian Margin at 500–1500 m water depth. Foraminiferal census counts of living and dead assemblages from 27 surface samples ranging from 103 to 1917 m water depth, and the examination of hard substrates reveal a close correlation of the fauna with the local hydrography and sediment facies. Four different faunal groups are separated by factor analysis of the living fauna. Assemblage 1 contains typical lower slope species and dominates samples from the lower MOW core layer and in the North Atlantic deep water below. Shelf edge foraminifera are common in assemblage 2a which shows the highest proportions in samples from 103 to 272 m. Assemblage 2b is dominated by upper slope species and suspension-feeders that are frequent in the upper MOW core layer and in distal settings between 396 and 901 m. Species from assemblage 3 prefer epibenthic habitats and are recorded with high proportions exclusively in the immediate flow paths of the upper MOW between 496 and 881 m. Colonisation structures and species composition of epibenthic assemblages from the proximal facies largely differ from those in distal settings. In general, epibenthic foraminifers only use elevated substrates under the influence of near-bottom flow. Under high current velocities, epibenthic foraminifers prefer large and heavy objects. They colonise high attachment levels where a maximum yield of advected food particles can be achieved. In distal settings at lower flow velocities, the elevation height does not exceed 20 mm above the surrounding sediment surface. This level is related to a hydrologic transition layer with high concentrations of suspended particles. The comparison of microhabitat preferences and faunal structure under high and low current velocities reveal that substrate stability may be a confining environmental variable for endobenthic and shallow epibenthic foraminifers. The observations also indicate that the preferential settling height of epibenthic foraminifera is related to the highest lateral flux rates of food particles within reach from the sea floor. A dynamic selection of elevated microhabitats is only used by 7.8% of all species recognised in the Gulf of Cadiz area.     

Early Eocene orthophragminids from the Lower Indus Basin,Pakistan, and their biostratigraphic implication

Orthophragminids are a key biostratigraphic proxy for Paleocene–Eocene sequences in western Tethys, but poorly known in eastern Tethys. The orthophragminids were previously misinterpreted as Paleocene's orbitoidiform foraminifera in the Indus Basin, Pakistan. This study focuses on detailed taxonomy and biostratigraphy of orthophragminids. Nine species/subspecies of orthophragminids are identified, including Discocyclina ranikotensis, D. archiaci bakhchisaraiensis, D. a. ex. interc. staroseliensis bakhchisaraiensis, D. dispansa hungarica, D. d. taurica, D. d. broennimanni and Orbitoclypeus schopeni ramaraoi, and two new species Discocyclina pseudoranikotensis n. sp. and Discocyclina debalensis n. sp. are described. The identified orthophragminid taxa represent the orthophragminid zones OZ2-3, corresponding to the shallow benthic zones SBZ5-7 of early Ypresian (early Eocene), which are correlated with those in western Tethys. However, we found that the first appearances of D. d. hungarica and D. d. taurica occur in the OZ3 or SBZ7 in this study instead of the OZ5 or SBZ10 as in western Tethys. The possible paleoecological setting for the occurrences of recognized species is interpreted as inner to middle shelf.     

The effect of bioturbation by polychaetes (Opheliidae) on benthic foraminiferal assemblages and test preservation

Biological activity such as burrowing can alter benthic foraminiferal shell preservation and may also modify benthic foraminiferal assemblages by vertical mixing, inducing sediment homogenization. Here, we analyse benthic foraminiferal assemblages and taphonomy of upper Miocene marine deposits from Conil de la Frontera (Cádiz, south‐western Spain). The deposits consist of marls displaying a pervasive alternation of intensively bioturbated beds dominated by Macaronichnus segregatis traces (ichnofabric index 4–5) and non‐bioturbated beds. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages are dominated by Cibicidoides mundulus and Cibicides refulgens, indicating that the marls were deposited on an oligotrophic, well‐oxygenated upper slope. The impact of burrowing on the preservation of benthic foraminiferal tests was tested using Q‐mode cluster analysis, which found two well‐differentiated groups of samples, one including the non‐bioturbated beds and the other encompassing the bioturbated ones. Fragmentation and recrystallization account for the differentiation of these groups, both being higher in the bioturbated sediments. Aggressive chemical digestion by the Macaronichnus trace‐makers, assumed to be a polychaete worm of the family Opheliidae, etched the microfossil shells, making them more vulnerable to fragmentation. Intense bioturbation favoured the circulation of pore fluids, encouraging recrystallization. Pervasive burrowing resulted in significant vertical reworking of microfossils. As a consequence, benthic foraminiferal assemblages in the bioturbated beds were homogenized in the mixed layer; that is, the uppermost layer of the substrate totally burrowed. The alternation of bioturbated and non‐bioturbated beds reflects episodic transfer of food particles down slope from shallower parts of the shelf as well as from the continent due to storms under otherwise homogeneous oligotrophic marine conditions.     

Relationship between benthic foraminiferal assemblages and environmental factors in atoll lagoons of the central Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia)

Foraminiferal assemblages were studied in ten atoll lagoons in the central Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia, in order to determine which environmental factors influence their distribution. Among geomorphological conditions, the degree of aperture has a major influence on lagoonal communities. Cluster and factor analyses reveal a clear contrast between the foraminiferal associations located in the peripheral and central areas of the lagoons, showing the effect of the vicinity of coral reef, and a limited post-mortem transport of species from the periphery toward the center of the lagoons. The rarity of planktonic species indicates limited penetration of the lagoon by planktonic forms, including planktonic stages of benthic colonizers. Colonization of these remote lagoons, even those with a high degree of aperture, may thus require long periods. Therefore, the Holocene transgression that flooded the deeper lagoons before the shallower ones, allowing a longer colonization period, may have contributed to the higher species richness of foraminifera within them.     

Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Tremiti structural high (Central Adriatic Sea) from benthic foraminiferal assemblages

Foraminiferal analyses carried out on the VTR01/8 core (Tremiti Islands, Adriatic Sea) lead to the reconstruction of the paleoenvironmental evolution of the area. Although the core site is located at about 1000 km from the Po delta, this study shows that the installation of the recent sedimentological and run-off system (with a shore parallel clay-belt) is similar to that described at sites much closer to the Po delta. The statistical analysis singled out four associations that correspond to four distinct environments. The ecological preferences of the most abundant taxa that characterize each environment reveal that from the bottom of the core to − 50 cm, there is a slight increase of the water depth after which the water depth increases until the present level. Association A (that comprises subclusters A1, A2 and A3) is characterized by shallow-water taxa (e.g., Ammonia beccarii, Quinqueloculina spp. and Elphidium granosum) showing that in the past an infralittoral environment typified the Tremiti High. The subclusters of Association A show that during the deposition of the lower part of the core there had been an alternation of phases characterized by different degrees of riverine influence: the site was at first under the influence of river outflow (A2) that later bypassed the core site (A3) and then came back, although located further away than before (A1). With the rising of the sea level, the Tremiti High became only marginally affected by river influence because the core site is located at a considerable distance from the Po outlets and seaward with respect to the center of the modern mud-belt. As a matter of fact, association B (Bulimina marginata, Cassidulina carinata and Textularia spp.), which starts at − 46 cm, shows the typical characteristics of the modern mud-belt outer-shelf assemblage, although the presence of opportunistic species is limited by the distant position with respect to the Po delta.     

Live and dead benthic foraminiferal assemblages from coastal environments of the Aegean Sea (Greece): Distribution and diversity

Benthic foraminiferal composition assemblages and their temporal changes, ecological indices and foraminiferal densities are used to compare three coastal environments with different physicogeographical features in the Aegean Sea (coastal environment of Avdira–Vistonikos Gulf and Kitros–Thermaikos Gulf and open lagoonal environment of Vravron–South Evoikos Gulf). Three main foraminiferal assemblages have been recognized: a) “Assemblage A”; high degree of similarity between living and dead foraminiferal species, dominated by Ammonia beccarii, Elphidium spp. and relatively abundant and diverse miliolids, b) “Assemblage B1”; intermediate degree of similarity between live and dead assemblages, characterized by highly-abundant and well-diversified foraminiferal assemblages including the algal symbiont bearing Peneroplis pertusus together with Ammonia tepida and several small epiphytic rotaliids and miliolids, and c) “Assemblage B2”; absence of living individuals, strongly dominated by the opportunistic species A. tepida. Our results suggest a good comparison between living and dead assemblages from different coastal environments in the Aegean Sea, however the prevailing environmental conditions (vegetation cover, hydrodynamics, fresh water influx) have a strong impact on the taphonomic processes.     

Relationships between foraminiferal assemblages and depositional sequences in Jahrum Formation,Ardal area (Zagros Basin,SW Iran)

The Jahrum Formation was deposited in the foreland basin in southwest Iran (Zagros Basin). The Zagros mountain belt of Iran, a part of the Alpine–Himalayan system, extends from the NW Iranian border through to SW Iran, up to the strait of Hormuz. The various facies of the Jahrum Formation were deposited in four main genetically related depositional environments, including: tidal flat, lagoon, shoal and open marine. These are represented by 14 microfacies. The Jahrum Formation represents sedimentation on a carbonate ramp. Tidal flat facies are represented by fenestral fabric, stromatolitic boundstone and thin-bedded planes. Carbonate deposition in a shallow marine lagoon was characterised by wacke–packstone, dominated by various taxa of imperforate foraminifer. The shoals are made up of medium- to coarse-grained skeletal and peloidal grainstone. This facies was deposited predominantly in an active high energy wave and current regime, and grades basinward into middle ramps facies are represented by wackestones–packstones with a diverse assemblage of echinoderm and large benthic foraminifers with perforate wall. Outer ramp facies consist of alternating marl and limestones rich in pelagic foraminifera. There is no evidence for resedimentation processes in this facies belt. The sequence stratigraphy study has led to recognition of three third-order depositional sequences.     

Paleocene-Pleistocene benthic foraminiferal evidence of major paleoceanographic events in the eastern South Atlantic (DSDP Site 525, Walvis Ridge)

Benthic foraminifers in the size-fraction greater than 0.073 mm were studied in 88 Paleocene to Pleistocene samples from Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 525 (Hole 525A, Walvis Ridge, eastern south Atlantic). Clustering of the samples on the basis of the 86 most abundant foraminifers (in total, 331 taxa were identified) allowed separating two major assemblage zones: the Paleocene to Eocene interval, and the Oligocene to Pleistocene interval. Each of these, in turn, were subdivided into three minor subzones as follows: lower upper Paleocene (approx. 62.4 to 57.8 Ma); upper upper Paleocene (56.6 to 56.2 Ma); lower and middle Eocene (55.3 to 46.8 Ma); upper Oligocene to middle Miocene (25.3 to 16 Ma); middle Miocene to Pliocene (15.7 to 4.2 Ma); and lower Pleistocene (0.4 to 0.02 Ma), with only minor differences with the previous zone. Some very abundant taxa span most of the column studies (Bolivina huneri, Cassidulina subglobosa, Eponides bradyi, E. weddellensis, Gavelinella micra, Oridorsalis umbonatus, etc.). Several of the faunal breaks recorded coincide with conspicuous minima in the specific diversity curve, thus suggesting that the corresponding turnovers signal the final stages of periods of faunal impoverishment. At least one major bottom-water temperature drop (as derived from δ¹⁸O data) is synchronous with a decrease in the foraminiferal specific diversity. On the other hand, a specific diversity maximum in the middle Miocene might be associated with a δ¹³C increase at approx. 16 to 12 Ma. Highest foraminiferal abundances (up to 600–800 individuals per gram of dry sediment) occurred in the late Paleocene and in the early Pleistocene, in coincidence with the lowest diversity figures calculated. The magnitude of the most important faunal turnover recorded, between the middle Eocene and the late Oligocene, is magnified in our data set by the large hiatus which separates the middle Eocene from the upper Oligocene sediments. Considerably smaller overturns occurred within the late Paleocene (in coincidence with changes in the specific diversity, absolute abundance of foraminiferal tests, and δ¹³C), and in the middle Miocene (in coincidence with a specific diversity maximum and a δ¹³C excursion). New information on the morphology and the stratigraphic ranges of several species is furnished. For all the taxa recorded the number of occurrences, total number of individuals identified and first and last appearances are listed.     

Eocene fossil rodent assemblages from the Erlian Basin (Inner Mongolia,China): Biochronological implications

Rodents from the Nuhetingboerhe-Huheboerhe area in the Erlian Basin, Inner Mongolia, differ stratigraphically: primitive ctenodactyloids such as Chenomys and Yuanomys are dominant in the upper part of the Nomogen Formation; Tamquammys dominates in the Arshanto Formation; Asiomys, Pappocricetodon, and Yuomys appear in the lower part of the Irdin Manha Formation and Tamquammys is rarer in this formation than in the Arshanto Formation. The assemblage of the upper part of the Nomogen Formation is similar to that of the Lingcha Formation of Hunan, the Wutu Formation of Shandong, the Yuhuangding Formation of Hubei, and the Bumban Member of the Nara-Bulak Formation of Mongolia. The assemblage in the upper part of the Arshanto Formation is correlated with that from the locality Andarak 2 in Kyrgyzstan. The assemblage from the lower part of the Irdin Manha Formation resembles that of the lower part of the Hetaoyuan Formation of Henan.On the basis of the comparison of the rodent assemblages, I consider that the age of upper part of the Nomogen Formation corresponds to the Bumbanian land mammal age. The Bumbanian, Arshantan, and Irdinmanhan land mammal ages are correlated respectively to the early Ypresian, the middle–late Ypresian, and the early Lutetian of the Geological Time Scale. The Bumbanian and Irdinmanhan land mammal ages are also correlated to the early Wasatchian and the early Uintan (or the later Bridgerian) of the North American Land Mammal Ages.     

Paleoceanographic implications of smaller benthic and planktonic foraminifera from the Eocene Pazin Basin (Coastal Dinarides,Croatia)

Summary Smaller benthic and planktonic foraminifera from the clastic sediments of the Pazin Basin (Istria, Croatia) were studied in order to obtain more data about paleoceanographic conditions that existed in the Middle Eocene Dinaric foreland basin. The succession investigated corresponds to the Middle Eocene planktonic foraminiferal zones Globigerapsis kugleri/Morozovella aragonensis (P11), Morozovella lehneri (P12), and Globigerapsis beckmanni (P13). Benthic foraminiferal assemblages from the clastic succession are dominated by epifaunal trochospiral genera suggesting oligotrophic to mesotrophic conditions and moderately oxygenated bottom waters. Planktonic foraminiferal assemblages indicate mesotrophic to eutrophic conditions of the surface waters, with increased eutrophication in the upper part of the section. Water depth, based on the ratio between planktonic and epifaunal benthic foraminifera and on the recognized species of cosmopolitan benthic foraminifera, was estimated to have been between about 900 and 1200 m. The basin was elongated and open to marine currents on both sides allowing good circulation and ventilation of the bottom water.     

Last interglacial surface water conditions in the eastern Nordic Seas inferred from dinocyst and foraminiferal assemblages

Marine sediments from the Vøring Plateau (Norwegian Sea) have been studied for their dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) and foraminiferal content in order to reconstruct sea-surface conditions in the eastern Norwegian Sea during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e. In combination with stable oxygen isotope and ice rafted detritus (IRD) data, the variations in foraminiferal and dinocyst assemblage composition reflect a stepwise transition from the final phase of deglaciation (Termination II) into typical interglacial conditions. This stepwise change is repeated subsequently during the cooling conditions of glacial inception towards MIS 5d. The interval studied is characterized by relatively high abundances of Bitectatodinium tepikiense, in comparison to present-day values in the area, indicating a larger seasonal temperature amplitude with enhanced surface water stratification during MIS 5e. The important occurrence of the warm-temperate dinocyst Spiniferites mirabilis s.l. concurrent with subpolar foraminifers Turborotalita quinqueloba, Globigerina bulloides, and Globigerinita glutinata reveals that most pronounced interglacial marine conditions prevailed in the area just prior to the transition towards MIS 5d. The late stratigraphic position of this phase in the interglacial is verified by comparison with dinocyst data from south of Iceland, manifesting its over-regional implication. Besides the good agreement in dinocyst and foraminiferal assemblage changes, the variations in and between both fossil assemblages also point to the existence of some significant surface water variability in the eastern Norwegian Sea during MIS 5e.     

Morphology and Function of the Vertebral Column in Remingtonocetus domandaensis (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Middle Eocene Domanda Formation of Pakistan

The archaeocete family Remingtonocetidae is a group of early cetaceans known from the Eocene of India and Pakistan. Previous studies of remingtonocetids focused primarily on cranial anatomy due to a paucity of well-preserved postcranial material. Here we describe the morphology of the known vertebral column in Remingtonocetus domandaensis based largely on a single well-preserved partial skeleton recovered from the upper Domanda Formation of Pakistan. The specimen preserves most of the precaudal vertebral column in articulation and includes seven complete cervical vertebrae, ten partial to complete thoracic vertebrae, six complete lumbar vertebrae, and the first three sacral vertebrae. Cervical centra are long and possess robust, imbricating transverse processes that stabilized the head and neck. Lumbar vertebrae allowed for limited flexibility and probably served primarily to stabilize the lumbar column during forceful retraction of the hind limbs. Vertebral evidence, taken together with pelvic and femoral morphology, is most consistent with interpretation of Remingtonocetus domandaensis as an animal that swam primarily by powerful movement of its hind limbs rather than dorsoventral undulation of its body axis.     

Palaeoceanographic and palaeoclimatic inferences from Late Cretaceous planktonic foraminiferal assemblages from the Exmouth Plateau (ODP Sites 762 and 763, eastern Indian Ocean)

The evolution of planktonic foraminifera during the Late Cretaceous is marked in the Santonian by the disappearance of complex morphotypes (the marginotruncanids), and the contemporary increasing importance and diversification of another group of complex taxa, the globotruncanids. Upper Turonian to lower Campanian planktonic foraminiferal assemblages from Holes 762C and 763B (Ocean Drilling Program, Leg 122, Exmouth Plateau, 47°S palaeolatitude) were studied in detail to evaluate the compositional variations at the genus and species level based on the assumption that, in the Cretaceous oceans as in the modern, any faunal change was associated with changes in the characteristics and the degree of stability of the oceanic surface waters. Three major groups were recognised based on gross morphology, and following the assumption that Cretaceous planktonic foraminifera, although extinct, had life-history strategies comparable to those of modern planktonics: 1 – r-selected opportunists; 2 – k-selected specialists; 3 – r/k intermediate morphotypes which include all genera that display a range of trophic strategies in-between opportunist and specialist taxa. Although planktonic foraminiferal assemblages are characterised by a progressive appearance of complex taxa, this trend is discontinuous. Variation in number of species and specimens within genera has allowed recognition of five discrete intervals each of them reflecting different oceanic conditions based on fluctuations in diversity and abundance of the major morphotypes. Planktonic forms show cyclical fluctuations in diversity and abundance of cold (r-strategists) and warm taxa (k-strategists), perhaps representing alternating phases of unstable conditions (suggesting a weakly stratified upper water column in a mesotrophic environment), and well-stratified surface and near-surface waters (indicating a more oligotrophic environment). Interval 1, middle Turonian to early Coniacian in age, is dominated by the r/k intermediate morphotypes which alternate with r-strategists. These cyclical alternations are used to identify three additional sub-intervals. Interval 2, aged middle to late Coniacian, is characterised by the increasing number of species and relative abundance of k-strategists. After this maximum diversification the k-strategists show a progressive decrease reaching a minimum value in Interval 3 (early to late Santonian), which corresponds to the extinction of the genus Marginotruncana. In the Interval 4, latest Santonian in age, the k-strategists, represented mainly by the genera Globotruncana, increase again in diversity and abundance. The last Interval 5 (early Campanian) is dominated by juvenile globotruncanids and r-strategists which fluctuate in opposite phase. The positive peak (Interval 2) related to the maximum diversification of warm taxa (k-strategists) in the Coniacian seems to correspond to a warmer episode. It is followed by a marked decrease in the relative abundance of warm taxa (k-strategists crisis) with a minimum in the late Santonian (Interval 3), reflecting a decrease in temperature. Detailed analysis of faunal variations allows the Santonian faunal turnover to be ascribed to a cooling event strong enough to cause the extinction of the marginotruncanids.     

Sedimentology and taphonomy of sirenian remains from the Middle Eocene of the Pamplona Basin (Navarre, western Pyrenees)

Sirenian vertebrae and ribs have been recently discovered from two Middle Eocene localities of the Pamplona Basin, Navarre (western Pyrenees). These outcrops correspond to different lower Bartonian lithostratigraphic units: the lower part of the Pamplona Marl Formation (Uztarrotz site) and the upper part of the Ardanatz Sandstone (Ardanatz site). The former represents a deep and low-energy sea floor far away from a deltaic slope; the Ardanatz environment probably corresponds to a semi-closed deltaic bay periodically affected by catastrophic floods (i.e., fluvial hyperpycnal flows). The presence of epibiontic activity suggests that the bones were exposed for a while prior to the burial. The histological structures are well preserved except in the peripheral region, where tubular-like microstructures filled by pyrite and iron oxides probably correspond to microbial bioerosion. The major mineral component of the fossil bones is francolite (carbonate fluorapatite). In the Ardanatz samples there is evidence of secondary francolite due to the late replacement of original carbonate fluorapatite through internal fractures. The Ardanatz and Uztarrotz sirenian fossils do not show any evidence of reelaboration. They have similar sum of rare earth elements (REE) concentrations relative to the host rock, but comparatively lower than in other vertebrate fossil bones. This feature may be due to the dense compact structure of pachyosteosclerotic sirenian bones.     

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages in the severely polluted coastal environment of Drapetsona-Keratsini,Saronikos Gulf (Greece)

Surface sediments were collected from the coastal zone of Drapetsona–Keratsini (Saronikos Gulf, Greece) in December 2012 for determining the local benthic foraminiferal community, identifying their spatial distribution patterns, and evaluating the response of foraminiferal species to geochemical composition through the hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis and Spearman's rho correlation. Foraminifera can be classified into three distinct assemblages associated with the granulometry, elemental geochemistry, particulate organic carbon content and degree of sediment contamination. A relatively low-diversity assemblage, dominated by stress-tolerant taxa with Ammonia tepida Bolivina spathulata and Bulimina elongata being the prevailing species, is characteristic of the silty seabed of the main part of Drapetsona coastal zone and the Keratsini Port central basin, where organic carbon content, aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations and trace metal loads are greatly elevated. On the sandy bottom of the investigated area, relatively high frequencies of miliolids prevail. An epiphytic rotaliid-dominated assemblage is recorded in the slightly-polluted sedimentary bottom of the inner and western part of the Keratsini Port.     

Omomyid primates (Tarsiiformes) from the Early Middle Eocene at South Pass,Greater Green River Basin,Wyoming

Recent fieldwork in the Gardnerbuttean (earliest Bridgerian) sediments along the northeastern edge of the Green River Basin at South Pass, Wyoming, has yielded a large and diverse sample of omomyid (tarsiiform) primates. This assemblage includes two species each of Artimonius gen. nov., Washakius, and Omomys, one species of Anaptomorphus, Trogolemur and Uintanius, and a new, primitive species of the rare omomyine genus,Utahia. Utahia is known elsewhere only from its type locality in the Uinta Basin and its phylogenetic position is poorly understood. Utahia carina sp. nov. allows for re-evaluation of the affinities of this genus relative to other omomyines. In most characters, such as a lesser degree of molar trigonid compression, more widely open talonid notches, and a lack of molar talonid crenulation, the new species is more primitive than U. kayi. The dental anatomy of U. carina also indicates that Utahia is morphologically intermediate between washakiins and omomyins, although the balance of anatomical features places Utahia as the sister taxon to a broadly defined "Ourayini" clade. Morphological similarity between U. carina, Loveina zephyri, and primitive Washakius suggests that while the omomyin and washakiin clades may have diverged by the middle Wasatchian, substantial morphological distinctions are first evidenced only in the early Bridgerian. This may be due either to a lack of appropriate faunal samples from older sediments, or, more likely, because ecological circumstances in the early Bridgerian favored omomyine diversification and subsequent replacement of previously occurring taxa. This hypothesis is further supported by the stratigraphic co-occurrence of U. carina, W. izetti, and a primitive variant of W. insignis at South Pass, a marginal area. Basin margins have been hypothesized to provide heterogeneous habitats conducive to the production of evolutionary innovation. Basin margin samples have also been cited as evidence that anaptomorphines were relegated to upland refugia as omomyine taxa began to appear in the later part of the early Eocene. Another possible explanation for the unusual co-occurrence of species at South Pass relates to fluctuating lake levels in the Green River Basin, which intermittently would have made lowland environments inhospitable for arboreal fauna. This would have created a situation whereby species which would normally be allopatric become sympatric at South Pass.     

Effectiveness of benthic foraminiferal and coral assemblages as water quality indicators on inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Although the debate about coral reef decline focuses on global disturbances (e.g., increasing temperatures and acidification), local stressors (nutrient runoff and overfishing) continue to affect reef health and resilience. The effectiveness of foraminiferal and hard-coral assemblages as indicators of changes in water quality was assessed on 27 inshore reefs along the Great Barrier Reef. Environmental variables (i.e., several water quality and sediment parameters) and the composition of both benthic foraminiferal and hard-coral assemblages differed significantly between four regions (Whitsunday, Burdekin, Fitzroy, and the Wet Tropics). Grain size and organic carbon and nitrogen content of sediments, and a composite water column parameter (based on turbidity and concentrations of particulate matter) explained a significant amount of variation in the data (tested by redundancy analyses) in both assemblages. Heterotrophic species of foraminifera were dominant in sediments with high organic content and in localities with low light availability, whereas symbiont-bearing mixotrophic species were dominant elsewhere. A similar suite of parameters explained 89% of the variation in the FORAM index (a Caribbean coral reef health indicator) and 61% in foraminiferal species richness. Coral richness was not related to environmental setting. Coral assemblages varied in response to environmental variables, but were strongly shaped by acute disturbances (e.g., cyclones, Acanthaster planci outbreaks, and bleaching), thus different coral assemblages may be found at sites with the same environmental conditions. Disturbances also affect foraminiferal assemblages, but they appeared to recover more rapidly than corals. Foraminiferal assemblages are effective bioindicators of turbidity/light regimes and organic enrichment of sediments on coral reefs.