Infralittoral ostracoda and benthic foraminifera of the Gulf of Pozzuoli (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

Abstract

The shallow water benthic foraminiferal and ostracod assemblages of the Gulf of Pozzuoli, located in the central Tyrrhenian Sea, were studied to investigate the relationship between calcareous meiofaunas and contaminant concentrations in bottom sediments exposed to prolonged industrial pollution. Both benthic foraminifers and ostracods displayed high-diversity and low-dominance, unusual features in highly contaminated environments. High-diversity values were possibly linked to the oligotrophic, well-oxygenated, and CaCO 3 -supersaturated coastal Mediterranean waters. The comparison with historical data suggested that assemblage composition changed in the last decades, with an increase in the relative abundance of benthic foraminiferal ( Quinqueloculina seminulum, Bulimina elongata ) and ostracod ( Xestoleberis , Loxoconcha, Semicytherura rarecostata ) taxa. They probably represent organisms tolerant to the environmental variations in the last decades. The relationships between granulometry and diversity indices, high correlation values between Quinqueloculina lata and heavy metal pollution, and the preference of the ostracod genera Urocythereis and Paracytheridea for very shallow marine waters were highlighted.

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