A study of marsh foraminifera microhabitat in Harshad, Gujarat, India

摘要

Foraminifera, abundant in the epipelagic and benthic realms, has an outstanding fossil record and is studied widely by micropalaeontologists. We document the systematics of benthic foraminifera from the marsh subenvironment of Harshad (N 21°50.53' - N 21° 50.06'. E 69° 22.15' - E 69° 21.96'). Gujarat. We also report the vertical distribution pattern of the foraminiferal assemblages and comment on the region's ecological status. Two short cores of 15 cm each, were collected from the marsh sub-environment and investigated for benthic foraminifera. One of the core shows a high Total Foraminiferal Number (TFN) reaching more than 500 per one gram of dry sediment at deeper depths. A total of thirteen species were identified. This study depicts that Ammonia tepida is the dominant and most widely distributed species of the marsh region. The other species dominant in hyaline test forms include Rotalidium annectens, Elphidium crispum Pararotalia nipponica, and Nonion cf. commune, and porcelaneous form Quinqueloculina spp.