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Abd Malek MN, Frontalini F. Benthic foraminifera as bioindicators of marine pollution: A bibliometric approach to unravel trends, patterns and perspectives. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 199:115941. [PMID: 38134870 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Benthic foraminifera, single-celled marine organisms, are known for their wide distribution, high abundance and species diversity, test (i.e., shell) preservation in the sedimentary (e.g., historical) record, and sensitivity to environmental changes. Because of these characteristics, they have been widely used as bioindicators in environmental monitoring and, more recently, as Biological Quality Elements (BQEs) in the Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) evaluation. The global scientific literature on benthic foraminifera as bioindicators was gathered from the Scopus database (overall 966 papers from 1973 to 2022) and explored with scientometric software. The outcomes highlight that the investigation of benthic foraminiferal response to pollutants started over 50 years ago. Indeed, not only the number of published documents has recently peaked (i.e., 2021 and 2022) but there has been also a growth in the percentages of papers falling within the Decision Sciences category that deals with the application of foraminiferal indices for the EcoQS assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Department of Pure and Applied Science, Urbino University, 61029 Urbino, Italy
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2
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Nunes M, Alves Martins MV, Frontalini F, Bouchet VMP, Francescangeli F, Hohenegger J, Figueira R, Senez-Mello TM, Louzada Castelo WF, Damasceno FL, Laut L, Duleba W, Mello E Sousa SHD, Antonioli L, Geraldes MC. Inferring the ecological quality status based on living benthic foraminiferal indices in transitional areas of the Guanabara bay (SE Brazil). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 320:121003. [PMID: 36623785 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Using benthic foraminifera, we evaluate the ecological quality status (EcoQS) of transitional waters of the Guanabara Bay (SE Brazil) by applying the diversity-based index exp (H'bc) and the sensitivity-based Foram-AMBI for the first time in South America. The Guanabara Bay was selected for this study as it is one of the largest transitional ecosystems in the State of Rio de Janeiro and has been severely impacted by anthropogenic activities. Concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) were assessed by sequential chemical extraction in three phases (i.e., dissolved in water, adsorbed on organic matter, and Mn oxy-hydroxides). Total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) signatures of organic matter were analyzed to trace environmental stress. The Ammonia/Elphidium ratio suggests hypoxic conditions at most of the sampled sites. Principal component analysis identifies the first component as environmental stress underlying organic matter and PTE enrichment (in all three phases), which is positively related to Foram-AMBI and negatively to exp (H'bc). The exp (H'bc) and Foram-AMBI indices reveal that stations near the Governador Island and Niterói margin have the worst EcoQS, showing medium to extreme pollution. Additionally, Foram-AMBI and exp (H'bc) provide a congruent EcoQS classification for ∼64% of the sites. Although these results are promising, they suggest that a significant effort should be made to obtain better knowledge of foraminiferal ecological requirements to employ benthic foraminifera as a biomonitoring and management method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Márcia Nunes
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Maria Virgínia Alves Martins
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade de Aveiro, GeoBioTec, Departamento de Geociências, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029, Urbino, Italy.
| | - Vincent M P Bouchet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, IRD, UMR8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F 59000, Lille, France.
| | - Fabio Francescangeli
- Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin Du Musée 6, 1700 Fribourg/Freiburg, Switzerland.
| | - Johann Hohenegger
- Universität Wien, Institut für Paläontologie, Althanstrasse 17, A 1090, Wien, Austria.
| | - Rubens Figueira
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo (IOUSP), Address: Pça. Do Oceanográfico, 191, Butantã, São Paulo, 05508 120, Brazil.
| | - Thaise M Senez-Mello
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Marine Geology Lab, LAGEMAR, Federal Fluminense University (UFF), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Wellen Fernanda Louzada Castelo
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Fabrício Leandro Damasceno
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Lazaro Laut
- Universidade Federal Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UNIRIO, Laboratório de Micropaleontologia, Av. Pasteur 458, S. 500, Urca, Rio de Janeiro, 22290-240, Brazil.
| | - Wania Duleba
- Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Arlindo Bettio, 1000, Vila Guaraciaba, São Paulo - SP, Brazil.
| | - Silvia Helena de Mello E Sousa
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo (IOUSP), Address: Pça. Do Oceanográfico, 191, Butantã, São Paulo, 05508 120, Brazil.
| | - Luzia Antonioli
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Mauro César Geraldes
- Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Geologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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3
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Dias HQ, Sukumaran S, Mulik J, Janakiram P. Ecological quality status assessment of tropical estuaries with benthic indices using differently derived reference conditions. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 177:113457. [PMID: 35325797 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Setting appropriate reference conditions (RCs) is critical for classifying the Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) which is extremely challenging, considering the present-day estuaries. The EcoQS of three tropical estuaries was assessed by applying five different RCs to identify the best applicable method for the area. The AZTI's indices (AMBI and M-AMBI) categorised areas with sharper pollution gradient with ease, while classification of moderate-low polluted areas was ambiguous. Indices responded to chemical stressors more clearly in the impacted estuary compared to the less polluted estuaries. Ecological status assigned by the default RC (lowest AMBI and highest diversity and richness values) were more accurate than those obtained on application of other four types of RCs, owing to various estuarine constraints that are discussed herewith. Thus, prior to application, caution should be exercised while setting area-specific RCs. The inclusion of combination of AZTI's indices with professional judgment for successful appraisal of ecosystem is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidy Q Dias
- CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Regional Centre Andheri (W), Mumbai 400053, India
| | - Soniya Sukumaran
- CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Regional Centre Andheri (W), Mumbai 400053, India.
| | - Jyoti Mulik
- CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Regional Centre Andheri (W), Mumbai 400053, India
| | - P Janakiram
- Department of Marine Living Resources, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530003, Andhra Pradesh, India
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4
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Silva LCD, Alves Martins MV, Figueira R, Frontalini F, Pereira E, Senez-Mello TM, Castelo WFL, Saibro MB, Francescangeli F, Mello e Sousa SH, Bergamaschi S, Antonioli L, Bouchet VMP, Terroso D, Rocha F. Unraveling Anthropocene Paleoenvironmental Conditions Combining Sediment and Foraminiferal Data: Proof-of-Concept in the Sepetiba Bay (SE, Brazil). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.852439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Sepetiba Bay (SB), located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (SE Brazil), is a transitional ecosystem highly anthropized. Because of its great environmental, economic, and social importance, the SB has been the target of several studies to investigate the sources of pollution and their environmental impact. However, studies on the response of foraminifera to pollution are rare. This study applies for the first time in the SB the Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR) based on the biotic index exp(H’bc), related to foraminiferal diversity, coupled with granulometric, mineralogical, and geochemical data and a robust age model (based on 210Pb and 137Cs activity). This study aims to evaluate the paleo-ecological quality status (PaleoEcoQS) along core SP5, collected in the inner central region of the SB. In the sedimentary record of the first half of the 20th century, no foraminifera were found, and the moderate enrichment in lithogenic elements was probably related not only to weathering and erosion of rocks but also to mining activities in the region. From the second half of the 20th century, the study area was under higher marine influence. Progressive siltation took place because of anthropogenic interventions in river courses, eutrophication, and metal pollution. Weak hydrodynamic conditions favored the accumulation of fine-grained sediments and organic matters. In the same period, low diversified benthic foraminiferal assemblages, including mainly opportunist species, were developed. Paleo-ecological conditions inferred by the biotic index exp(H’bc) were poor around 1970 and worsened after the metal spill released by Companhia Ingá Mercantil (a zinc ore processing plant). After that, progressively recovery has led to good ecological conditions in 2015. This study shows how benthic foraminiferal methods could represent a very useful tool to track changes in the evaluation of PaleoEcoQS.
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The Marine Influence Index (MII): A Tool to Assess Estuarine Intertidal Mudflat Environments for the Purpose of Foraminiferal Biomonitoring. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14040676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a marine influence index (MII), which is thought to give an integrated quantitative description of the complex of the environmental parameters controlling the foraminiferal fauna in estuarine intertidal mudflats. The MII contains three components, as follows: (1) the relative distance along the salinity gradient, (2) the emergence time relative to a reference tidal cycle, and (3) the relative importance of river outflow in the 30 days before sampling the foraminiferal fauna. Although these three parameters all have a strong relation with salinity, they also implicitly include other environmental parameters, such as the introduction of marine and continental organic matter and biota, hydrodynamic energy, or temperature. In order to show the functioning of this new index, MII is calculated for 28 stations in the Auray and Vie estuaries, for two different periods. The next step will be to compare the MII with faunal data sets. Ideally, this comparison should allow us to find strong correlations between some characteristics of the foraminiferal assemblages and the MII. If such strong correlations were indeed found, any major deviation of this relationship could then be interpreted as being due to strong anthropogenic disturbance.
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6
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Benthic Foraminiferal Indices and Environmental Quality Assessment of Transitional Waters: A Review of Current Challenges and Future Research Perspectives. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13141898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Transitional waters straddle the interface between marine and terrestrial biomes and, among others, include fjords, bays, lagoons, and estuaries. These coastal systems are essential for transport and manufacturing industries and suffer extensive anthropogenic exploitation of their ecosystem services for aquaculture and recreational activities. These activities can have negative effects on the local biota, necessitating investigation and regulation. As a result of this, EcoQS (ecological quality status) assessment has garnered great attention as an essential aspect of governmental bodies’ legislative decision-making process. Assessing EcoQS in transitional water ecosystems is problematic because these systems experience high natural variability and organic enrichment and often lack information about their pre-human impact, baseline, or “pristine” reference conditions, knowledge of which is essential to many commonly used assessment methods. Here, foraminifera can be used as environmental sentinels, providing ecological data such as diversity and sensitivity, which can be used as the basis for EcoQS assessment indices. Fossil shells of foraminifera can also provide a temporal aspect to ecosystem assessment, making it possible to obtain reference conditions from the study site itself. These foraminifera-based indices have been shown to correlate not only with various environmental stressors but also with the most common macrofaunal-based indices currently employed by bodies such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD). In this review, we firstly discuss the development of various foraminifera-based indices and address the challenge of how best to implement these synergistically to understand and regulate human environmental impact, particularly in transitional waters, which have historically suffered disproportionate levels of human impact or are difficult to assess with standard EcoQS methods. Further, we present some case studies to exemplify key issues and discuss potential solutions for those. Such key issues include, for example, the disparate performance of multiple indices applied to the same site and a proper assignment of EcoQS class boundaries (threshold values) for each index. Disparate aptitudes of indices to specific geomorphologic and hydrological regimes can be leveraged via the development of a site characteristics catalogue, which would enable the identification of the most appropriate index to apply, and the integration of multiple indices resulting in more representative EcoQS assessment in heterogenous transitional environments. In addition, the difficulty in assigning threshold values to systems without analogous unimpacted reference sites (a common issue among many transitional waters) can be overcome by recording EcoQS as an ecological quality ratio (EQR). Lastly, we evaluate the current status and future potential of an emerging field, genetic biomonitoring, focusing on how these new techniques can be used to increase the accuracy of EcoQS assessment in transitional systems by supplementing more established morphology-based methods.
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7
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Castelo WFL, Martins MVA, Martínez-Colón M, Guerra JV, Dadalto TP, Terroso D, Soares MF, Frontalini F, Duleba W, Socorro OAA, Geraldes MC, Rocha F, Bergamaschi S. Disentangling natural vs. anthropogenic induced environmental variability during the Holocene: Marambaia Cove, SW sector of the Sepetiba Bay (SE Brazil). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:22612-22640. [PMID: 33420935 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-12179-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Multiproxy approach based on textural, mineralogical, geochemical, and microfaunal analyses on a 176-cm-long core (SP8) has been applied to reconstruct the Holocene paleoenvironmental changes and disentangling natural vs. anthropogenic variability in Marambaia Cove of the Sepetiba Bay (SE Brazil). Sepetiba Bay became a lagoonal system due to the evolution and development of the Marambaia barrier island during the Holocene and the presence of an extensive river basin. Elemental concentrations from pre-anthropogenic layers from the nearby SP7 core have been used to estimate the baseline elemental concentrations for this region and to determine metals enrichment factors (EF), pollution load index (PLI), and sediment pollution index (SPI). Record of the core SP8 provides compelling evidence of the lagoon evolution differentiating the effects of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) under natural vs. anthropic forcing in the last ~ 9.5 ka BP. The study area was probably part of coastal sand ridges between ≈ 9.5 and 7.8 ka BP (radiocarbon date). Events of wash over deposited allochthonous material and organic matter between ≈ 8.6 and 7.8 ka. Climatic event 8.2 ka BP, in which the South American Summer Monsoon was intensified in Brazil causing higher rainfall and moisture was scored by an anoxic event. Accumulation of organic matter resulted in oxygen depletion and even anoxia in the sediment activating biogeochemical processes that resulted in the retention of potentially toxic elements (PTEs). After ≈ 7.8 ka BP at the onset of the Holocene sea-level rise, a marine incursion flooded the Marambaia Cove area (previously exposed to subaerial conditions). Environmental conditions became favorable for the colonization of benthic foraminifera. The Foram Stress Index (FSI) and Exp(H'bc) indicate that the environmental conditions turned from bad to more favorable since ≈ 7.8 ka BP, with maximum health reached at ≈ 5 ka BP, during the mid-Holocene relative sea-level highstand. Since then, the sedimentological and ecological proxies suggest that the system evolved to an increasing degree of confinement. Since ≈ 1975 AD, a sharp increase of silting, Cd, Zn, and organic matter also induced by anthropic activities caused major changes in foraminiferal assemblages with a significant increase of Ammonia/Elphidium Index (AEI), EF, and SPI values and decreasing of FSI and Exp(H'bc) (ecological indicators) demonstrating an evolution from "moderately polluted" to "heavily polluted" environment (bad ecological conditions), under variable suboxic conditions. Thus, core SP8 illustrates the most remarkable event of anthropogenic forcing on the geochemistry of the sediments and associated pollution loads and its negative effect on benthic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wellen Fernanda Louzada Castelo
- Programa Pós-Graduação em Dinâmica dos Oceanos e da Terra, Universidade Federal Fluminense, UFF, Campus da Praia Vermelha, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | - Maria Virgínia Alves Martins
- Faculdade de Geologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20550-013, Brazil.
- Departamento de Geociências, Universidade de Aveiro, GeoBioTec, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Michael Martínez-Colón
- Florida A and M University, School of the Environment, FSH Science Research Center, 1515 South MLK Blvd, Tallahassee, FL, 32307, USA
| | - Josefa Varela Guerra
- Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, 4° andar, Bloco E, sala 4018, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20550-900, Brazil
| | - Tatiana Pinheiro Dadalto
- Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia - UFSB, Rodovia de Acesso para Itabuna, km 39 - Ferradas, Itabuna, BA, 45613-204, Brazil
| | - Denise Terroso
- Departamento de Geociências, Universidade de Aveiro, GeoBioTec, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Maryane Filgueiras Soares
- Faculdade de Geologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20550-013, Brazil
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate (DiSPeA), Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Urbino, Italy
| | - Wânia Duleba
- Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Orangel Antonio Aguilera Socorro
- Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Laboratorio de Paleoecologia e Mudanças Globais Campus de Gragoatá, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Bloco M, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, 24210-200, Brazil
| | - Mauro Cesar Geraldes
- Faculdade de Geologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20550-013, Brazil
| | - Fernando Rocha
- Departamento de Geociências, Universidade de Aveiro, GeoBioTec, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sergio Bergamaschi
- Faculdade de Geologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20550-013, Brazil
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8
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Bouchet VMP, Frontalini F, Francescangeli F, Sauriau PG, Geslin E, Martins MVA, Almogi-Labin A, Avnaim-Katav S, Di Bella L, Cearreta A, Coccioni R, Costelloe A, Dimiza MD, Ferraro L, Haynert K, Martínez-Colón M, Melis R, Schweizer M, Triantaphyllou MV, Tsujimoto A, Wilson B, Armynot du Châtelet E. Indicative value of benthic foraminifera for biomonitoring: Assignment to ecological groups of sensitivity to total organic carbon of species from European intertidal areas and transitional waters. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 164:112071. [PMID: 33549924 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This work contributes to the ongoing work aiming at confirming benthic foraminifera as a biological quality element. In this study, benthic foraminifera from intertidal and transitional waters from the English Channel/European Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean Sea were assigned to five ecological groups using the weighted-averaging optimum with respect to TOC of each species. It was however not possible to assign typical salt marsh species due to the presence of labile and refractory organic matter that hampers TOC characterization. Tests of this study species' lists with Foram-AMBI on two independent datasets showed a significant correlation between Foram-AMBI and TOC, confirming the strong relation between foraminifera and TOC. For one of the validation datasets, associated macrofaunal data were available and a significant correlation was found between the foraminiferal Foram-AMBI and the macrofaunal AMBI. The here proposed lists should be further tested with sensitivity-based indices in different European regional settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent M P Bouchet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F 59000 Lille, France.
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Univ. Urbino Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate (DiSPeA), Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Campus Scientifico Enrico Mattei, Località Crocicchia, 61029 Urbino, Italy
| | - Fabio Francescangeli
- University of Hamburg, Institute for Geology, Centre for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Bundesstraße, 5520146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Pierre-Guy Sauriau
- La Rochelle Université, CNRS, Littoral Environnement et Sociétés, UMR 7266 LIENSs, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Emmanuelle Geslin
- UMR 6112 LPG-BIAF, Univ. Angers, Univ. Nantes, CNRS, 2 Bd Lavoisier, F 49000 Angers, France
| | - Maria Virginia Alves Martins
- Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), R. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Lab 1006, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro 20550-900, Brazil; Aveiro University, Department of Geosciences, GeoBioTec, Campus de Santiago, 3810-197 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Ahuva Almogi-Labin
- Geological Survey of Israel, Yesha'yahu Leibowitz 32, Jerusalem 9692100, Israel
| | | | - Letizia Di Bella
- Dipartimento di Scienze Della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy
| | - Alejandro Cearreta
- Departamento de Geología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Apartado 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Rodolfo Coccioni
- Univ. Urbino Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate (DiSPeA), Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Campus Scientifico Enrico Mattei, Località Crocicchia, 61029 Urbino, Italy
| | - Ashleigh Costelloe
- BioStratigraphic Associates (Trinidad) Limited, 113 Frederick Settlement, Old Southern Main Rd., Caroni, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Margarita D Dimiza
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, Panepistimioupolis, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Luciana Ferraro
- CNR, Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council of Italy, Calata Porta di Massa, Naples, Italy
| | - Kristin Haynert
- University of Göttingen, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael Martínez-Colón
- Florida A&M University, School of the Environment, FSH Science Research Center, RM306B, 1515 South MLK Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA
| | - Romana Melis
- Department of Mathematics and Geosciences, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Magali Schweizer
- UMR 6112 LPG-BIAF, Univ. Angers, Univ. Nantes, CNRS, 2 Bd Lavoisier, F 49000 Angers, France
| | - Maria V Triantaphyllou
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, Panepistimioupolis, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Akira Tsujimoto
- Faculty of Education, Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsucho, Matsue, Shimane 690-8504, Japan
| | - Brent Wilson
- Cedar Lodge, Maenygroes, Cei Newydd, Ceredigion, Wales SA45 9RL, UK
| | - Eric Armynot du Châtelet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59000 Lille, France
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9
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Conservation Paleobiology as a Tool to Define Reference Conditions in Naturally Stressed Transitional Settings: Micropaleontological Insights from the Holocene of the Po Coastal Plain (Italy). WATER 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/w12123420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The key role of paralic environments as providers of ecosystem services, associated with their increasingly threatened state, led to the definition of international water management policies aimed to improve ecological quality status (EcoQs). Restoration actions rely on the definition of reference conditions, which is a particularly challenging task in naturally stressed transitional environments. In the present work, we apply the diversity index Exp(H’bc) on benthic foraminifer assemblages from two anthropogenically unimpacted transitional to coastal Holocene sediment successions of the Po coastal plain, in order to assess past EcoQs (PaleoEcoQs). Ostracod ecological groups provided detailed insights on naturally stressful paleoenvironmental conditions. We show that “poor” to “moderate” PaleoEcoQs are recorded by biological indicators at reference conditions under fluctuations of chemical-physical parameters and organic matter enrichment. We emphasize the importance of a site-specific paleobiological approach, as significant differences in diversity occur even on a short spatial scale. This study illustrates that early to mid-Holocene sediment successions resulted to be appropriate for conservation paleobiological purposes, providing a high-resolution paleoecological record under the influence of the Holocene sea-level rise in analogy with the present-day global change.
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S Dos S de Jesus M, Frontalini F, Bouchet VMP, Yamashita C, Sartoretto JR, Figueira RCL, de Mello E Sousa SH. Reconstruction of the palaeo-ecological quality status in an impacted estuary using benthic foraminifera: The Santos Estuary (São Paulo state, SE Brazil). MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 162:105121. [PMID: 32846319 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The Santos Estuary (SE Brazil) is a coastal ecosystem with a high ecological importance and has been strongly impacted by human activities over the last century. A multiproxy analysis of sediment core dated by 137Cs, 210Pb and 226Ra activities and based on sediment geochemistry and benthic foraminifera is here used to reconstruct the environmental changes and the variations of the Palaeo-Ecological Quality Status (Palaeo-EcoQS) during the last ~120 years. The Palaeo-EcoQS was reconstructed by applying the diversity index Exp(H'bc) based on the benthic foraminiferal fauna. Specifically, the Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR) allowed to assess the Palaeo-EcoQS during the last ~120 years using local reference conditions. Based on our data, the pre-industrial period (~1883-1902) represents the reference conditions with "Good" Palaeo-EcoQS. The ~1902-1972 period coincides with the beginning of industrial operations and intensification of coastal urbanization leading to a deterioration of the environmental quality and Palaeo-EcoQS shifting to "Moderate" conditions. Dredging operations in 1972 led to increase the influences of adjacent sea that ultimately resulted in a "Good" Palaeo-EcoQS persisting up to the 1990s. Despite the preservation actions and recovery programs, the 1993-2012 period was characterized by an overall deterioration of the environmental conditions. Indeed, the reconstructed "Poor" to "Bad" Palaeo-EcoQS suggest the ineffectiveness of the remediation actions. This work confirmed that benthic foraminifera are reliable to evaluate EcoQS and Palaeo-EcoQS in estuarine ecosystems. Based on the present findings and previous studies showing the potential of fossil foraminifera to define in situ reference conditions, we recommend the inclusion of foraminifera in the list of biological quality elements within legislations concerning transitional and marine habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Márcio S Dos S de Jesus
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça Do Oceanográfico, 191, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Università Degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", DiSPeA, Campus Scientifico Enrico Mattei, Località' Crocicchia, 61029, Urbino, Italy
| | - Vincent M P Bouchet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59000, Lille, France
| | - Cintia Yamashita
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça Do Oceanográfico, 191, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Juliê R Sartoretto
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça Do Oceanográfico, 191, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Rubens C L Figueira
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça Do Oceanográfico, 191, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Silvia H de Mello E Sousa
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça Do Oceanográfico, 191, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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11
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Francescangeli F, Quijada M, Armynot du Châtelet E, Frontalini F, Trentesaux A, Billon G, Bouchet VMP. Multidisciplinary study to monitor consequences of pollution on intertidal benthic ecosystems (Hauts de France, English Channel, France): Comparison with natural areas. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 160:105034. [PMID: 32907737 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The intertidal areas of the Hauts-de-France (English Channel - France) stand out for the occurrence of fragile ecosystems that are exposed to natural and human-induced stress. Over the last two centuries, the northern part of this region has experienced a strong human pressure, with the settlement of numerous activities (i.e., metallurgic factories, harbors, embankments). On the contrary, the southern part includes mostly natural areas. The whole region is influenced by a macrotidal regime. A multidisciplinary approach based on sedimentological (grain-size), geochemical (trace metals, biomarkers) and biological (foraminifera) proxies was used to unravel the contrasting environmental conditions in the Hauts-de-France. Three foraminiferal-types communities, which reflect different ecological characteristics at regional scale, were identified: 1) estuarine macrotidal assemblages (Haynesina germanica associated to Elphidiidae) in low impacted estuaries; 2) industrial-perturbed assemblages (H. germanica and Cribroelphidium excavatum) in harbor areas; and 3) infaunal-dominant assemblages (Bolivina variabilis and B. pseudoplicata) in embankment areas. The outcomes of this study show that a multiproxy procedure needs to be adopted for properly characterizing intertidal ecosystems, where human impacts and natural stresses overlap and are hard to disentangle.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Francescangeli
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France; University of Hamburg, Institute for Geology, Centre for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Germany.
| | - M Quijada
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France
| | - E Armynot du Châtelet
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France
| | - F Frontalini
- University of Urbino, Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate (DiSPeA), 61029, Urbino, Italy
| | - A Trentesaux
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France
| | - G Billon
- University of Lille, CNRS, UMR 8516 - LASIRE - Laboratoire de Spectroscopie pour Les Interactions, La Réactivité et L'Environnement, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - V M P Bouchet
- University of Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte D'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62 930, Wimereux, France
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12
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Alves Martins MV, Hohenegger J, Martínez-Colón M, Frontalini F, Bergamashi S, Laut L, Belart P, Mahiques M, Pereira E, Rodrigues R, Terroso D, Miranda P, Geraldes MC, Villena HH, Reis T, Socorro OAA, de Mello E Sousa SH, Yamashita C, Rocha F. Ecological quality status of the NE sector of the Guanabara Bay (Brazil): A case of living benthic foraminiferal resilience. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 158:111449. [PMID: 32753225 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The ecological quality status of the NE region of the Guanabara Bay (SE Brazil), one of the most important Brazilian embayments, is evaluated. For this purpose, sediment samples from in the inner of the Guanabara Bay (GB) were collected and analyzed (grain-size, mineralogy, geochemistry and living foraminifera). In this study, it is hypothesized that the potentially toxic elements (PTEs) concentrations, in solution and associated with organic matter (OMPTEs, potential nutrient source), may represent two potential pathways to impact benthic foraminifers. A multiproxy approach applied to complex statistical analyses and ecological indexes shows that the study area is, in general, eutrophic (with high organic matter and low oxygen content), polluted by PTEs and oil. As a consequence, foraminifera are not abundant and their assemblages are poorly diversified and dominated by some stress-tolerant species (i.e., Ammonia tepida, Quinqueloculina seminula, Cribroelphidium excavatum). The results allow us to identify a set of species sensitive to eutrophication and OMPTEs. Factors such as the increase of organic matter contents and OMPTEs and, in particular of Zn, Cd and Pb, the oxygen depletion and the presence of oil, altogether contribute to a marked reduction in the abundance and diversity of foraminifera. Ammonia-Elphidium Index and the Foram Stress Index confirm that the NE zone of GB is, in general, "heavily polluted", with "poor ecological quality status" and experiences suboxic to anoxic conditions. In light of it, special attention from public authorities and policymakers is required in order to take immediate actions to enable its environmental recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Virgínia Alves Martins
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Geologia, Departamento de Estratigrafia e Paleontologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade de Aveiro, GeoBioTec, Departamento de Geociências, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Johann Hohenegger
- Universität Wien, Institut für Paläontologie, Althanstrasse 17, A 1090 Wien, Austria.
| | - Michael Martínez-Colón
- Florida A&M University, School of the Environment, FL, USA, FSH Science Research Center, RM306B, 1515 South MLK Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA.
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate (DiSPeA), Urbino, Italy.
| | - Sérgio Bergamashi
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Geologia, Departamento de Estratigrafia e Paleontologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Lazaro Laut
- Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UNIRIO, Laboratório de Micropaleontologia - LabMicro, Av. Pasteur, 458, IBIO/CCET sala 500 Urca, 22.240-490, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Pierre Belart
- Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UNIRIO, Laboratório de Micropaleontologia - LabMicro, Av. Pasteur, 458, IBIO/CCET sala 500 Urca, 22.240-490, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Michel Mahiques
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto Ocenográfico, Departamento de Ocenografia Física, Brazil.
| | - Egberto Pereira
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Geologia, Departamento de Estratigrafia e Paleontologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Rene Rodrigues
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Geologia, Departamento de Estratigrafia e Paleontologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Denise Terroso
- Universidade de Aveiro, GeoBioTec, Departamento de Geociências, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Paulo Miranda
- Governo Regional dos Açores, Direção Regional dos Assuntos do Mar, Horta, Açores, Portugal.
| | - Mauro César Geraldes
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Geologia, Departamento de Estratigrafia e Paleontologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Hélio Heringer Villena
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Oceanografia, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, 4° andar, Bloco E, sala 4018, CEP 20550-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Tadeu Reis
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Oceanografia, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, 4° andar, Bloco E, sala 4018, CEP 20550-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Orangel Antonio Aguilera Socorro
- Universidade Federal Fluminense, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Laboratorio de Paleoecologia e Mudanças Globais Campus de Gragoatá, Bloco M, CEP: 24210-200, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | | | - Cintia Yamashita
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto Ocenográfico, Departamento de Ocenografia Física, Brazil.
| | - Fernando Rocha
- Universidade de Aveiro, GeoBioTec, Departamento de Geociências, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
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