Benthic foraminifers in the regional monitoring program’s San Francisco Estuary samples
For over three decades, sand-sized protozoans known as foraminifers have made contributions to our understanding of environmental problems in urban areas (Alve, 1991; Clark, 1971; Ellison et al., 1986; Watkins, 1961). Benthic foraminiferal assemblages are particularly sensitive pollution indicators in estuarine and coastal areas (Alve, 1995) because they vary spatially and temporally in relation to environmental variables and can respond to almost imperceptible physical change in the environment due to pollutants. Foraminifers also have similar distributions to those of shallow marine invertebrates (Buzas and Culver, 1991, 1993), and can therefore act as proxies for larger organisms in polluted environments. In addition, the ability of foraminifers to respond to environmental degradation is enhanced because they reproduce quickly, as often as every three months to one year (Murray, 1991).
Citation Information
Publication Year | 1999 |
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Title | Benthic foraminifers in the regional monitoring program’s San Francisco Estuary samples |
Authors | Mary McGann, Doris Sloan |
Publication Type | Report |
Publication Subtype | Other Report |
Index ID | 70175108 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | San Francisco Bay-Delta; Pacific Regional Director's Office |