Phase Evolution of Holocene Paleoenvironmental Changes in the Southern Yellow Sea: Benthic Foraminiferal Evidence from Core CO2

Assemblages of benthic foraminifera in a sediment core(C02)near the western margin of the southern Yellow Sea Mud were studied to decipher the phase evolution of Holocene paleoenvironmental changes associated with the Holocene marine transgression.It appears that during the early Holocene(11.2 10.1 kyr BP),the faunal was dominated by low salinity and shallow water species Cribrononion subincertum,Buccella frigida and Ammonia beccarii,reflecting a near coast depositional environment.A rapid increase of the relative abundance of Ammonia compressiuscula between 10.1 9.3 kyr BP indicates that the sea level rose rapidly during that time period.From 9.3 7.7 kyr BP,the benthic foraminiferal assemblage was dominated by high percentage of A.compressiscula,suggesting that the sea level was relatively stable.An obvious transition of benthic foraminifera,from the A.compressiuscula-dominated assemblage to an Ammonia ketienziensis-dominated assemblage,occurred between 7.7 6.2 kyr BP,possibly corresponding to a second sea level rapid rise period in the Yellow Sea during the Holocene.This transition may correspond to the gradually strengthened Yellow Sea warm current(YSWC)and finally is established the modern-type circulation in the Yellow Sea.It may also mark the formation of the Yellow Sea cold bottom water(YSCBW)during that period.Since then,the benthic foraminiferal assemblage based on core C02 was dominated by typical YSCBW species,A.ketienziensis,Astrononion italicum and Hanzawaia nipponica,at 6.2 4 kyr BP.A non-deposition period occurred since 4 kyr BP,which possibly related to the hydrology changes caused by the East Asia monsoon.The two obvious benthic foraminiferal transitions recorded in core C02 during the early and middle Holocene provide evidence that the Yellow Sea has undergone a two-phase rapid sea level rise during the Holocene marine transgression.

Cenomanian-Coniacian Sea-level Change and Dissolved Oxygen Fluctuations in Tethys-Himalaya: Evidences from Benthic Foraminifera of Gamba, Tibet

Benthic foraminifera, preserved in the Late Cretaceous organic carbon-rich sediments of Gamba, southern Tibet, provide high-resolution proxies for sea-level changes and dissolved oxygen fluctuations of southeastern Tethys. The fossils were statistically analyzed and divided into three faunas of ＂Cenomanian fauna＂, ＂Turonian fauna＂, and ＂Coniacian fauna＂. A middle neritic-upper bathal environment （50-250m） was estimated considering the ratios of planktonic and epifaunal benthic foraminifera （P/（P＋E））, the morphological analysis according to the studies of recent foraminifera and the abundant distributions of depth-related species such as Alabamina creta, Laevidentalina sp., Praebulimina spp., Pleurostomella cf. naranjoensis, Pyrulina sp., Quinqueloculina spp., Haplophragmoides spp., etc. The result shows an almost parallel trend with the global transgressive and regressive cycles, but the former fluctuates more frequently at upper Cenomanian, which probably indicates tectonic instability of the continental margin. According to the benthic foraminiferal richness （BFN）, Shannon-Weiner diversity （H（s））, as well as benthic foraminiferal oxygen index （BFOI）, five periods of oxygen depleted conditions （dysoxic-anoxic） have been recognized. They correspond to the OAE2, the lower Turonian, the upper Turonian, the Turonian- Caniacian boundary event and the probably OAE3. In addition, the oxygen fluctuations in Gamba might be controlled directly by sea-level changes, while the paleoproductivity and oxygen conditions interacted with each other under oxygen deficiency environments.

Ecological environment response of benthic foraminifera to heavy metals and human engineering: A case study from Jiaozhou Bay, China

The estuary and coastal zone are the key areas for socio-economic development,and they are also the important channels for pollutants transported to the sea.The construction of the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge changed the hydrodynamic condition of the bay,which made the self-purification capacity of the bay weakened and the pollution in the estuary and adjacent coastal zone become more serious.In this study,55 surface sediment samples were collected from the three seriously polluted estuaries and the adjacent coastal zone of Jiaozhou Bay to comprehensively study how the benthic foraminifera response to heavy metal pollution and human engineering,and to assess the ecological risks of the bay.A total of 80 species,belonging to 42 genera,were identified in this study.The results showed that Cu,Pb,Cr,Hg,Zn,and As had low to median ecological risks in the study area which would definitely affect the ecological system.The construction of the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge has resulted in pollutants accumulated at the river mouth of Loushan River,which has adverse effects on the survival and growth of benthic foraminifera.The lowest population density and diversity as well as the highest FAI(Foraminiferal Abnormality Index)and FMI(Foraminiferal Monitoring Index)occurred at Loushan River Estuary which indicated that the ecological environment of the northeastern part of Jiaozhou Bay(Loushan River Estuary)had been seriously damaged.Licun River and Haipo River estuaries and the adjacent coastal zone were slightly polluted and had low ecological risk.As a consequence,it suggested that the supervision of industrial and domestic waste discharge and the protection of the ecological environment in northeast Jiaozhou Bay should be paid more attention.

The Response of Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblages to Copper Exposure: A Pilot Mesocosm Investigation

Controlled experiments, including mesocosms and laboratory cultures, are used to identify a potential speci?c cause- effect relationship that has been previously inferred in field studies. In this study, a series of mesocosm experiments are carried out to assess the impact of different concentrations of copper on benthic foraminiferal assemblages over time. This pilot investigation documents that Cu contamination has a detrimental effect on foraminifera when compared to original and control samples. In particular, increased concentrations of Cu (normally higher than 120 μg/l) lead to a lowering of foraminiferal density and diversity and an increased occurrence of abnormalities. This study thus supports that the use of an experimental approach is suitable for investigating the response of benthic foraminifera to stress including pollution. Moreover, the application of mesocosms represents an innovative tool to be placed alongside field studies and culture experiments.

Using Benthic Foraminifera to Reconstruct the Environment of the Past in Florida Bay,USA

Beginning in the 1980s,dramatic ecological changes happened to the bay and the adjacent Everglades.Several U.S.government organizations such as the U.S.Geological Survey and National Park Service united to try to restore these ecosystems.As part of the whole project,this study establishes a baseline of variability for the last 100 to 4000 years in seagrass abundance(an indicator of water quality),

Benthic Foraminiferal Density,Species Composition and Biomass in Deep-Sea Atlantic Mediterranean Transect(Transmed Cruise,2007):Preliminary Results

Previous studies on deep modern benthic foraminifera in the Mediterranean Sea are not abundant and generally are focused at the fossilizing polythalamous component of the foraminiferal assemblages.We present preliminary results of living(Rose Bengal stained)benthic foraminiferal faunas in bathyal and abyssal sediments.Benthic foraminiferal density, species composition and biomass are determined at 10 sites across a transect from the

Early Cretaceous Index Benthic Foraminifera from Northeast of Torbat-e-Heydarieh Area (Esfiyukh Section)

The first study of early cretaceous succession in Northeast of Torbat-e-Heydarieh, led to recognition of 30 genera and 25 species of benthic foraminifera such as Rectodictyorbitolina sp., Dictyoconus arabicus, Orbitolina discoidea,Palorbitolina lenticularis, Mesorbitolina parva, Orbitolina kurdica,Praeorbitolina sp., Valvullammina picardi, Pseudocyclamina lituus, Charentia cuvillieri, Lenticulina sp., Nezzazata picardi, Quinqueloculina robusta,Nautiloculina oolitica, Subaudia minuta, Praechrysalidina infracteracea, Rumanoloculina sp., Choffahella decipiens, Vercorsella arenata. Regard to Stratigraphy range of above mentioned, the Barremian–Aptian age suggested for this succession.

Paleoecology of Benthic Foraminifera in Coral Reefs Recorded in the Jurassic Tuwaiq Mountain Formation of the Khashm Al-Qaddiyah Area, Central Saudi Arabia

Thirty three benthic foraminiferal species belong to 23 genera and 16 families have been recorded from the coral reefs of the Callovian Tuwaiq Formation, Khashm AI-Qaddiyah area, Central Saudi Arabia. Three species： Astacolus qaddiyahensis, Nodosaria riyadhensis, Siderolites jurassica are believed to be new. Nearly all identified foraminifera are of Atlantie-Miditeranean affinity. The foraminiferal assemblage recorded in the present work is mixed of open marine, moderately deep marine conditions associations and shallow to deep lagoon. The reefal part of upper Twiaq Formation may have been deposited in shallow water of lower to middle shelf depth （20-50 m） as indicated by abundant corals and benthic foraminifera. The coral fauna and bearing benthic foraminifera indicated moderate water energy.

Responses of benthic foraminifera to changes of temperature and salinity:Results from a laboratory culture experiment

The effects of temperature and salinity on intertidal foraminiferal community under laboratory conditions are poorly understood. We designed a two-factor crossed experiment in which foraminiferal communities were cultured at different temperatures (6, 12, and 18℃) and salinities (15, 20, 25, and 30 psu) for 10 weeks. In total, 2616 living (stained) specimens were obtained and analyzed. Foraminiferal abundance ranged from 9 to 202 individuals/10 g wet weight of sediment. The highest abundance was obtained at 12℃, 25 psu and the lowest at 6℃, 15 psu. Statistical results demonstrated that temperature affected foraminiferal community more significantly than salinity. Most foraminiferal community parameters (abundance, species richness, Margalef index, and Shannon-Wiener diversity) were significantly positively correlated to temperature, but not to salinity, whereas Pielou's evenness was significantly negatively correlated to both temperature and salinity. The interactive effect of temperature and salinity on foraminiferal abundance was significant. In addition, with increasing temperature, the species composition shifted from hyaline Rotaliida to porcellaneous Miliolida. The abundance of dominant species (e.g., Ammonia aomoriensis, A. beccarii, and Quinqueloculina seminula) showed significant positive correlations to temperature. Our study indicated that the intertidal foraminiferal community responds sensitively and rapidly to the changes of salinity and, especially,temperature by shifting foraminiferal species composition and altering the community parameters.

A quantitative reconstruction of the paleoenviornmental variations of the South Yellow Sea inner shelf based on benthic foraminiferal transfer functions

Transfer functions between the benthic foraminiferal fauna of seventy-one sediment surface-samples retrieved from the South Yellow Sea inner shelf and the environmental factors, including the summer bottom-water salinity(Ss), the summer bottom-water temperature(Ts) and the winter bottom-water temperature(Tw) have been developed utilizing weighted averaging partial least square regression(WA-PLS). Subsequently, the transfer functions have been applied to a late Holocene piston core SY01 from the South Yellow Sea inner shelf, established the variation curves of the Ss, Ts, and Tw during the last 3.9 cal. ka. The Ss and Ts showed a nearly synchronous trend to the published stalagmite δ18O curve from the Jiuxian Cave, meaning they could be used as reliable indicators for the summer monsoon. Similarly, the Tw could be used as an indicator for the winter monsoon for its synchronous change to the insensitive grain size variation of the core ZY-2 retrieved from the Central Yellow Sea mud area. These results suggest that transfer functions based on benthic foraminiferal fauna can be a potentially useful tool in palaeoceanographic and palaeoenvironmental research along the Chinese seaboard.

Tracing the Methane Events by Stable Carbon Isotopes of Benthic Foraminifera at Glacial Periods in the Andaman Sea

Stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen variations in foraminiferal shells have been widely used in paleo-environment studies.However,studies about the shells of benthic foraminifera in methanehydrate-bearing sediments as reliable geochemical proxies to reconstruct the potential methane release events in the geologic past are rare.In this study,we present the stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of fossil benthic foraminifera including one epifaunal species(Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi)and two infaunal species(Bulimina mexicana and Uvigerina peregrina)from the Site U1447 of IODP 353 Expedition to trace methane events in the Andaman Sea,where one of the thickest and deepest gas hydrate stability zones was discovered.Theδ^(13)C values of benthic foraminifera show that there are eight distinct intervals with negative values in the last~10 Myr,interpreted as a record of long-term fluctuations in methane emission.Six of these methane events occurred during the glacial sea-level lowstands in the last~1.1 Myr.We,therefore,infer that the trigger mechanism for these events might be the hydrate destabilization caused by sea level fall.The methane events that occurred at~2.11 and~5.93 Ma are more likely related to the sudden changes in sedimentation,either slide events or marked variations in sedimentation rate.

Evolution,Extinction,Homology and Homoplasy of the Larger Benthic Foraminifera from the Carboniferous to the Present Day,as Exemplified by Planispiral-Fusiform and Discoidal Forms

Examples of evolution,extinction and homoplasy of the larger benthic foraminifera(LBF)occur throughout their history.Since the Carboniferous,LBF have thrived in carbonate-rich tropical and subtropical shallow-marine shelf environments.Their high abundance and diversity are due primarily to their extraordinary ability to inhabit a range of ecological niches and by hosting a variety of symbionts.Attaining relatively large,centimetre-scale sizes,made some forms very specialized and vulnerable to rapid ecological changes.For this reason,some LBF have shown a tendency to suffer periodically during major extinctions,especially when environmental conditions have changed rapidly and/or substantially.This,however,makes them valuable biostratigraphic microfossils and,in addition,gives invaluable insight into the spatial and temporal process of biological evolution,such as convergent/homoplasy and homology/iterative evolution.Here the evolutionary behavior of two important morphological types that occurred throughout the history of the LBF are discussed,namely the planispiral-fusiform test as typified by the fusulinids in the Late Paleozoic and the alveolinids in the Mid-Cretaceous and Neogene,and the three-layered discoid lenticular test as characterized by the orbitoids in the Mid-to Late Cretaceous,the orthophragminids in the Paleogene,and lepidocyclinids in the Oligocene to Quaternary.Understanding the propensity of these forms to convergent and iterative evolution,with the repeated re-occurrence of certain morphological features,is essential in understanding and constructing their phylogenetic relationships more generally within the main groups of the LBF.The insights gained from the history of these LBF have wider implications,and provide a more general understanding of the impacts of climate and ecological changes as driving forces for biological evolution.

Changing structure of benthic foraminiferal communities due to declining pH:Results from laboratory culture experiments

The ocean absorbs large amounts of CO_2 emitted from human activities, which results in a decrease in seawater p H.Marine calcifying organisms such as foraminifera, are most likely to be affected by this declining pH. In this study, we collected sediments from five stations of different depths(34–73 m) in a continental shelf of the Yellow Sea. The entire benthic foraminiferal communities together with sea sediments were cultured under three constant pHs(8.3, 7.8, and 7.3) for 6 and 12 weeks in the laboratory to study their responses to pH or incubation time. The microcosm's experimental results obtained showed that most of the foraminiferal community parameters(abundance, species richness, Margalef index, and Shannon-Wiener diversity) decreased significantly(p<0.05) with the decline in pH in all the tested stations. The responses of foraminifera to the decline in p H were species-specific, for instance, Protelphidium tuberculatum and Cribroelphidiumfrigidum were highly sensitive to declining pH and were finally eliminated at low pH, while some species(e.g., Lagenammina atlantica, Verneuilinulla advena, V. propinqua, Haplophragmoides applanata, and H. canariensis) could tolerate low pH and acted as pH-tolerant species. In addition, the proportion of hyaline taxa showed a significant(p<0.05) positive correlation with pH, while agglutinated type showed a negative response. Furthermore, different incubation times(6 and 12 weeks) showed significant effects on the nearshore communities other than the offshore treatments, which were, however, entirely declined after 6 weeks' incubation under low p H manipulation. Our results indicated that nearshore foraminiferal communities showed rather a resilience to the declining p H and the offshore foraminifera, especially those in the central area of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass were found to be more sensitive to the decline in pH in the continental shelf sediments of the Yellow Sea.

Evolution of the Southern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass during the last 7 kyr from benthic foraminiferal evidence

The Southern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM) is closely related to the modern circulation system of the east China shelf seas, which has significantly influenced regional marine environmental changes. The study of the Holocene evolution of the YSCWM will greatly improve our understanding of the mechanisms of regional environmental change. Benthic foraminifera are sensitive to bottom water environmental changes and can serve as useful indicators in bottom water environmental reconstruction. In this study, benthic foraminifera were analyzed in core N02 from the northwestern margin of the southern Yellow Sea Mud to decipher the phase evolution of the YSCWM during the last 7 kyr. Benthic foraminifera census counts and Q-mode factor analysis indicate that the Holocene sedimentary environment can be divided into three stages: From6.9–5.0 ka, the fauna was dominated by Ammonia ketienziensis, indicating that the YSCWM was at its strongest during the last 7 kyr, while the Yellow Sea Coastal Current(YSCC) had a weak influence on the bottom water of the study area. From 5.0–2.9 ka,the relative abundance of Hanzawaia nipponica remarkably increased while the abundance of A. ketienziensis decreased significantly, reflecting that the strength of the YSCWM was relatively weak and the range of the YSCWM might have contracted. The influence of the YSCC on the bottom water might have slightly increased, although its influence was still weak during this time. A notable increase in low-temperature and low-salinity species, such as Protelphidium tuberculatum and Buccella spp. has occurred since 2.9 ka, indicating that the YSCC has had a strong influence on bottom water during this period,while the strength of the YSCWM has been at its weakest during the last 7 kyr. Generally, the influence of the YSCWM and the YSCC on the bottom water properties of the study area show an obvious seesaw pattern, with one's influence increasing while the other's influence decreases and vice versa. The fluctuations in the strength of YSCWM during the Holocene may be caused by the different effect allocations of regional climatic factors(i.e. El Ni?o Southern Oscillation, East Asian Winter Monsoon,summer insolation in the northern hemisphere, etc.) acting on the circulation system during different periods.

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages from the Safranbolu Formation(Cuisian,Eocene),Northwest Anatolia,Turkey

Twenty-one outcrop samples collected from a 28-m-thick section from the Safranbolu Formation of the southwestern part of the Safranbolu Basin,Anatolia,Turkey yielded well-preserved benthic foraminifera belonging mainly to the genera Alveolina,Nummulites,Assilina,Rotalia,Disclocyclina and Orbitolites.Alveolina is the most diversified genus that is represented by sixteen species:Alveolina archiaci,A.axiampla,A.barattoloi,A.carantana,A.colatiensis,A.cuspidata,A.distefanoi,A.histrica,A.lehneri,A.oblonga,A.polatliensis,A.rakoveci gueroli,A.ruetimeyeri,A.rugosa,A.safranboluensis and A.sirelii.Alveolina safranboluensis and A.sirelii are described new.Comparison of the fossil assemblage with those assemblages previously reported from both Turkey and other Tethyan sub-basins revealed that the deposition occurred during the Cuisian(Eocene)and corresponded to Shallow Benthic Foraminiferal Zones(SBFZ)10–12.The abundance and diversity of the larger benthic foraminifera indicated that the Safranbolu Formation was deposited under transgressive conditions.

Benthic foraminifera and bottom water evolution in themiddle-southern Okinawa Trough during the last 18 ka

A piston sediment core E017 from the middle-southern Okinawa Trough was investigated. A preliminary study of the deep-water evolution since 18 cal. ka BP was performed basedon the quantitative census data of benthic foraminiferal fauna, together with planktonic foraminiferal oxygen and carbon isotope, AMS14C dating, and the previous results achieved in thesouthern Okinawa Trough. The result shows that the benthic fauna was dominated by Buliminaaculeata (d′Orbigny), Uvigerina peregrina (Cushman), Hispid Uvigerina and Uvigerina dirupta(Todd) during the glaciation-deglaciation before 9.2 cal. ka BP, while Epistominella exigua(Brady), Pullenia bulloides (d′Orbigny), Cibicidoides hyalina (Hofker), Sphaeroidina bulloides(d’Orbigny) and Globocassidulina subglobosa (Brady) predominated the fauna in the post-glaciaperiod after 9.2 cal. ka BP. The benthic foraminifera accumulation rate (BFAR), paleoproductivityestimates and benthic foraminiferal assemblage conformably indicate that surface water paleoproductivity and organic matter flux during the glaciation-deglaciation were higher than those othe post-glacial period in the middle-southern Okinawa Trough, and gradually enhanced from thesouthern to the central Okinawa Trough during the glaciation-deglaciation, which could becaused by the discrepancy of the terrigenous nutrients supply. High abundances of E. exigua, anindicator of pulsed organic matter input, after 9.2 cal. ka BP may indicate that the intensity oseasonally riverine pulsed flux during the post-glacial period was stronger than that of the glaciation-deglaciation period, and the seasonal influx in the central trough might be stronger than inthe south. The temporal distributions of the typical species indicating bottom water oxygen content and ventilation condition show that the ventilation of the bottom water during the post-glaciaperiod is more active than the glaciation-deglaciation, which reflects that the evolution of the intermediate and deep waters of the northwestern Pacific during the last glaciation has no evideninfluence on the deep-water of the middle-southern Okinawa Trough. Additionally, the variationsin agglutinated benthic foraminiferal abundance and other carbonate dissolution proxies indicatethat carbonate dissolution gradually increased since the last 18 ka in the Okinawa Trough andrapidly enhanced at 9.2 cal. ka BP. The modern shallow carbonate lysocline could form at 3 calka BP.

Deep-sea benthic foraminiferal record of the paleoceanography in the southern Okinawa Trough over the last 20 000 years

Quantitative analyses have been carried out on benthic foraminifera from 66 samples of Core 255 in the southern Okinawa Trough, in combination with the stable isotopic analyses of planktonic and benthic foraminifera and AMS 14C dating, in order to reconstruct the history of change under deep water conditions and surface paleoproduclivity over the last 20 000 years. The variations in the ratio of agglutinants in benthic foraminiferal fauna and the ratio of fragments in planktonic foraminifera] fauna indicate higher carbonate dissolution during the postglacial stage than during the glacial stage. The distribution of species and the results of Q-mode factor analysis show that there are three distinctly different benthic foraminiferal assemblages during the glacial, deglacial and postglacial stages in the Okinawa Trough over the last 20000 years: the glacial Bulimina aculeata assemblage (especially the dominant species Uvigerina pereyrina) is associated with high surface primary productivity and organic matter content in sediments; the postglacial Uvigerina asperula assemblage corresponds to low surface primary productivity; while the deglacial Chilostomella colina assemblage possibly reflects low oxygen content in bottom water.

Benthic foraminiferal δ^(13)C minimum events in the southeastern Okhotsk Sea over the last 180 ka

A total of six d13C minimum events,i.e.,VI,V,IV,III,II,and I,were observed via a stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of infaunal benthic foraminifera Uvigerina spp.in gravity core OS03-1 in the southeastern Okhotsk Sea over the last 180 ka.These events occurred at112–109,102–90,85–76,57–54,44–40,and 17–10 ka BP.The largest negative excursions reached 2.5%in event V and were greater than 1%in the other events.We proposed that all d13C minimum events were caused by the increase in sea surface water productivity,the weakened formation of Okhotsk Sea intermediate water,and the enhancement of the oxygen minimum zone.The negative excursions were unaffected by methane hydrate destabilization and subsequent methane release based on the results obtained by using archaeal lipid markers.

夏季长江口邻近海域活体底栖有孔虫优势种群及分布特征研究

针对长江口及其邻近海域活体底栖有孔虫相关研究较为缺乏的问题,本研究对2016年7月长江口海域33个站位的表层沉积物进行了活体底栖有孔虫属种的鉴定和分析。发现研究海域活体底栖有孔虫共23属31种,丰度范围为0~21 ind./g,简单分异度范围为0~16种。优势种群为优美花朵虫(Florilus decorus)、杰克逊小九字虫(Nonionella jacksonensis)、亚易变筛九字虫(Cribrononion subincertum)、耳状脓泡虫(Cancris auriculus)、日本半泽虫(Hanzawaia nipponica)、条纹判草虫(Brizalina striatula)、亚洲沙壁虫(Arenoparella asiatica)、毕克卷转虫变种(Ammonia beccarii vars.)和压扁卷转虫(Ammonia compressiuscula)。活体有孔虫丰度较高的区域多集中在A3和A4断面所在海域,而在研究区域的东北部海域丰度整体较低。除长江口门以外,近岸海域具有“丰度高、属种少”的特征,而在A3和A4断面的远岸海域,则具有“丰度高、属种多”的特征。有孔虫的分布情况表明,A.beccarii vars.是研究区域内活体分布最广的种群,F.decorus是活体占比最高的种群,同时也是除A.beccarii vars.以外分布最广的种群。C.subincertum的丰度随离岸距离的增大而迅速减小,是典型的近岸优势种。

湛江湾-雷州湾海域表层沉积物中底栖有孔虫分布特征及其环境意义

于2020年6月对湛江湾-雷州湾海域89个站位表层沉积物进行底栖有孔虫采样分析,共识别出52属103种,其中,玻璃质壳37属64种,胶结壳10属13种,瓷质壳5属26种。底栖有孔虫分布表现为湾内低、湾外高,由湾内向湾外增加的特点。对底栖有孔虫进行Q型因子分析,划分4个有孔虫组合,组合Ⅰ为Florilus scaphus-Pseudorotalia gaimardi,以暖水种为主,指示受南海暖流影响明显的内陆架浅水环境;组合Ⅱ为Nonion belridgenseHemirotalia foraminulosa-Elphidium macellum,以咸水种为主,可能反映盐度值明显升高的浅水环境,具有海陆过渡带性质;组合Ⅲ为Hanzawaia convexa-Rosalina bradyi,以浅水种为主,指示受沿岸流与南海暖流共同影响的内陆架浅水环境;组合Ⅳ为Neoconorbina terquemiAmmonia beccarii,以广盐种为主,反映了受沿岸流影响明显的滨海环境。综合分析影响底栖有孔虫组合分布的各种因素,认为温度、水深为控制研究海域底栖有孔虫分布的主要因素,同时,海流和底质类型也会对底栖有孔虫分布产生一定影响。