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Ecological and Biological Response of Benthic Foraminifera Under Oxygen-Depleted Conditions: Evidence from Laboratory Approaches

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Anoxia

Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 21))

Abstract

Laboratory experiments are a valuable way to elucidate physiological and ecological processes of benthic foraminifera under oxygen-depleted conditions. Experimentally tested survival rates and other experiments show high tolerance of many species under low oxic to anoxic conditions. Laboratory observations raised different assumptions to explain the physiological adaptations to this tolerance. Denitrification processes seem to be one important mechanism. Nevertheless, foraminifera try to colonize sediment horizons with optimal species-specific oxygen concentrations. Experimental settings demonstrated the importance of oxygen gradients for the orientation in sediments. At the same time, foraminifera change the oxygen concentration in their microenvironment by respiration. Despite high bioturbation, they do not appear to influence the flux of oxygen into the sediment. Experimental working in oxygen-depleted environments needs a reliable determination of living foraminifera during the experiment, e.g., different biochemical techniques. Additionally, electrochemical or optical oxygen sensors that measure the oxygen concentration are necessary.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany

    Petra Heinz

  2. Laboratoire d’Etude des Bio-indicateurs Actuels et Fossiles (BIAF) and LEBIM, University of Angers, 2 Boulevard Lavoisier, Angers Cedex, 49045, France

    Emmanuelle Geslin

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  1. Petra Heinz
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Correspondence to Petra Heinz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Dept. for Earth and Environmental Resear, Ludwig-maximilians-University, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, Munich, 80333, Germany

    Alexander V. Altenbach

  2. , Geology & Geophysics Department, Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole Road 266, Woods Hole, 02543, Massachusetts, USA

    Joan M. Bernhard

  3. Jerusalem, The Hebrew University Of, P.O.Box 1132, Efrat, 90435, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

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Heinz, P., Geslin, E. (2012). Ecological and Biological Response of Benthic Foraminifera Under Oxygen-Depleted Conditions: Evidence from Laboratory Approaches. In: Altenbach, A., Bernhard, J., Seckbach, J. (eds) Anoxia. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1896-8_15

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