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1.
The southwestern part of south Shillong plateau (Meghalaya, N-E India), designated as Sylhet Limestone Group is sub-divided into three lithounits i.e., Lakadong, Umlatdoh and Prang formations in ascending order. The Prang Formation is the youngest lithostratigraphic unit of the Sylhet Limestone Group and has been dated as Middle to early Upper Eocene based on the benthic foraminifera studies. Thin section analysis of carbonate rocks from Prang Formation, exposed in the Bholaganj limestone quarry yielded a rich assemblage of calcareous algae. The coralline algal assemblage comprises both non-geniculate and geniculate forms. The green algae are represented by species of Halimeda belonging to the family Halimedaceae. Palaeoecological interpretation based on diversity, growth-form analysis and taphonomic aspects of the algal assemblage indicate that in all probabilities the deposition of Prang Formation occurred in shallow, warm, shelf environment of normal salinity within the transgressive phase.  相似文献   

2.
Since their first occurrence in the late Cretaceous, seagrasses have played a major role in carbonate production and sedimentation across shallow-water and nearshore environments, sustaining a prolific carbonate factory and contributing to sediment accumulation through the combination of baffling and trapping effects. Most reported Palaeogene seagrass occurrences developed in oligo?mesotrophic shallow warm-water habitats and are characterized by distinct associations of small and larger benthic foraminifers adapted to low terrigenous influence. This study describes a number of seagrass episodes interbedded in the Bartonian (middle Eocene) of San Fausto–Lazkua area (Navarra region, North Spain), within a nearshore to inner-ramp succession that, in spite of being deposited under general transgressive conditions, was highly influenced by terrigenous supply from the adjacent land. Up to twelve different seagrass bed intervals occur interbedded in a cyclical manner with high-energy nearshore siliciclastics and inner ramp bioclastic carbonates rich in mesophotic?oligophotic foraminifers and heterozoan biota (red algae, echinoderms, bryozoans). Seagrass deposits exhibit typical unsorted textures, abundant bioturbation and moderate to high terrigenous content, and comprise a characteristic skeletal association of epiphytic foraminifers, red algae and, most particularly, of abundant encrusting acervulinids, commonly with distinct hooked and tubular growth forms. This abundance of suspension-feeders relative to autotrophs and mixotrophs may be indicative of temperate waters, although the taxonomic diversity of the foraminiferal assemblages in both seagrass and non-seagrass embedding deposits supports the interpretation of shallow, warm-water conditions. The studied seagrass deposits provide evidence that high siliciclastic supply and associated nutrient input may determine the occurrence of temperate-like seagrass deposits in warm-water settings, analogous to extensive heterozoan carbonate production in modern shallow-tropical environments. Thus, the identification and correct interpretation of past seagrass-vegetated environments are crucial for reconstructing palaeoecological conditions in ancient shallow-marine environments. Therefore, in comparison with carbonate-dominated environments, the mixed terrigenous?carbonate seagrass deposits are volumetrically less important, presenting a more irregular, patchy distribution, and a skeletal assemblage dominated by heterotrophs, regardless of the water temperature.  相似文献   

3.
Spencer Gulf is a large (ca 22 000 km2), shallow (<60 m water depth) embayment with active heterozoan carbonate sedimentation. Gulf waters are metahaline (salinities 39 to 47‰) and warm‐temperate (ca 12 to ?28°C) with inverse estuarine circulation. The integrated approach of facies analysis paired with high‐resolution, monthly oceanographic data sets is used to pinpoint controls on sedimentation patterns with more confidence than heretofore possible for temperate systems. Biofragments – mainly bivalves, benthic foraminifera, bryozoans, coralline algae and echinoids – accumulate in five benthic environments: luxuriant seagrass meadows, patchy seagrass sand flats, rhodolith pavements, open gravel/sand plains and muddy seafloors. The biotic diversity of Spencer Gulf is remarkably high, considering the elevated seawater salinities. Echinoids and coralline algae (traditionally considered stenohaline organisms) are ubiquitous. Euphotic zone depth is interpreted as the primary control on environmental distribution, whereas seawater salinity, temperature, hydrodynamics and nutrient availability are viewed as secondary controls. Luxuriant seagrass meadows with carbonate muddy sands dominate brightly lit seafloors where waters have relatively low nutrient concentrations (ca 0 to 1 mg Chl‐a m?3). Low‐diversity bivalve‐dominated deposits occur in meadows with highest seawater salinities and temperatures (43 to 47‰, up to 28°C). Patchy seagrass sand flats cover less‐illuminated seafloors. Open gravel/sand plains contain coarse bivalve–bryozoan sediments, interpreted as subphotic deposits, in waters with near normal marine salinities and moderate trophic resources (0·5 to 1·6 mg Chl‐a m?3) to support diverse suspension feeders. Rhodolith pavements (coralline algal gravels) form where seagrass growth is arrested, either because of decreased water clarity due to elevated nutrients and associated phytoplankton growth (0·6 to 2 mg Chl‐a m?3), or bottom waters that are too energetic for seagrasses (currents up to 2 m sec?1). Muddy seafloors occur in low‐energy areas below the euphotic zone. The relationships between oceanographic influences and depositional patterns outlined in Spencer Gulf are valuable for environmental interpretations of other recent and ancient (particularly Neogene) high‐salinity and temperate carbonate systems worldwide.  相似文献   

4.
The presence of foramol, rhodalgal and bryomol skeletal grain associations in ancient shallow‐marine limestones is commonly interpreted as evidence for non‐tropical palaeoclimate, despite temperature being only one of several factors influencing skeletal grain associations. Such interpretations neglect the multitude of factors other than temperature that influence carbonate‐producing biota. These include nutrients, water energy, water transparency, depth of the sea floor, salinity, oxygen, Ca2+ and CO2 concentrations, Mg/Ca ratio, alkalinity, substrate requirements, competitive displacement as well as biological and evolutionary trends. This uniformitarian approach also disregards the probability that conditions of present‐day biological systems may not be representative of past conditions of analogous systems. Here, the importance of considering these other factors is illustrated through two examples of carbonate platforms in the western Mediterranean. These platforms are dominated by foramol, rhodalgal and bryomol associations of Miocene age in spite of having formed in tropical conditions. The platforms discussed are: (1) the Lower Tortonian ramp on Menorca, Balearic Islands; and (2) the Lower–Middle Miocene ramps of the central Apennines, Italy. Evidence for tropical conditions in the Mediterranean during the period of growth of these platforms is provided by species of red algae and larger foraminifera, by data from coeval continental basins and by global oxygen isotope data.  相似文献   

5.
Early Eocene carbonate sediments of the Umlatdoh Limestone (Meghalaya, N-E India) represent a shallow marine shelf environment. The major biotic components characterizing these carbonates are calcareous green algae and small to larger benthic foraminifera. Based on the biogenic associations and general sedimentological features, five major facies types (MFTs) are distinguished. They are dominated by poor to moderately sorted grainstones followed by packstones, rudstones and wackestones. Considerable abundance of Halimeda, scarcity of z-corals and poor to moderate occurrence of filter-feeding organisms imply mesotrophic to a slightly oligotrophic nutrient regime. Rare occurrence of geniculate coralline algae is probably due to the lack of suitable substrate and environmental conditions. High incidence of grainstones and packstones, fairly preserved microfossils and few reworked specimens indicate a parautochthonous mode of deposition. Preponderance of Alveolina and Nummulites indicate the possible advent of larger foraminiferal turnover (LFT) in the east Tethys during or even before early Eocene. A conceptual palaeoenvironmental model for the studied succession is provided to showcase various facies gradients, bathymetry levels and shelf zones pertinent to the Umlatdoh Limestone.  相似文献   

6.
The presence of the pathogenic protist Labyrinthula sp., the causative agent of seagrass wasting disease and mass mortality events, was assessed in 18 seagrass meadows in the Balearic region (western Mediterranean). This protist was found in 70% of seagrass meadows investigated and in all seagrass species present in the region (i.e., Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa, and Zostera noltii). Labyrinthula spp. cultures isolated from seven P. oceanica and one Thalassia testudinum meadows were used as inocula to perform cross-infection experiments in order to test seagrass vulnerability to Labyrinthula spp. infection. These isolates produced lesions on P. oceanica and other seagrass species (Zostera marina, Z. noltii, and C. nodosa). P. oceanica and Z. noltii, both species autochthonous to the Mediterranean Sea, were the seagrasses most vulnerable to infection by the tested isolates. One of the P. oceanica isolates of Labyrinthula sp. also infected the Atlantic seagrass Z. marina, and all of the Mediterranean seagrasses were infected by Labyrinthula sp. isolated from the T. testudinum, native to the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. This work confirms that Labyrinthula sp. is commonly found on seagrasses of the Mediterranean Sea and demonstrates that Labyrinthula sp. can infect seagrasses in different genera, in contrast to previous studies where Labyrinthula sp. was considered to be genus-specific. This finding points out the broadly pathogenic nature of some Labyrinthula sp. isolates. Finally, this work identifies Labyrinthula sp. as a possible detrimental agent for P. oceanica.  相似文献   

7.
The generation and composition of carbonate sediment within tropical carbonate settings is controlled by the skeletal production of CaCO3 in conjunction with physical, biological and chemical processes which act to break down and disperse skeletal remains. Using the results of detailed tumbling barrel experiments, this paper discusses the role the physical durability of common constituents of reef sediment plays in the composition of coral reef deposits. The durability of the skeletal remains of six reef sediment constituents was determined experimentally using tumbling barrels. Results indicate that constituent durability varies considerably amongst common reef sediment constituents. Calcareous algae Halimeda was the least durable constituent tested, followed by larger benthic foraminifera Baculogypsina sphaerulata and Marginopora vertebralis and the pelecypod Fragum fragum. Two species of branching coral (Acropora sarmentosa and Acropora nasuta) were found to be the most resistant to physical destruction. These findings provide increased power to interpret reef and island deposits and the potential role skeletal durability plays in the retention of constituent skeletons within coral reef associated sedimentary systems.  相似文献   

8.
The nutritional ecology of macroherbivores in seagrass meadows and the roles of grazing by urchins, fishes and green turtles in tropical systems and waterfowl in temperate systems are discussed in this review. Only a few species of animals graze on living seagrasses, and apparently only a small portion of the energy and nutrients in seagrasses is usually channeled through these herbivores. The general paucity of direct seagrass grazers may be a function of several factors in the composition of seagrasses, including availability of nitrogen compounds, presence of relatively high amounts of structural cell walls, and presence of toxic or inhibitory substances. The macroherbivores, however, can have a profound effect on the seagrass plants, on other grazers and fauna associated with the meadow, and on chemical and decompositional processes occurring within the meadow. Grazing can alter the nutrient content and digestibility of the plant, as well as its productivity. Removal of leaf material can influence interrelations among permanent and transient faunal residents. Grazing also interrupts the detritus cycle. Possible consequences of this disruption, either through acceleration or through decreased source input, and the enhancement of intersystem coupling by increased export and offsite fecal production, are discussed. The extent and magnitude of these effects and their ecological significance in the overall functioning of seagrass meadows only can be speculated, and probably are not uniform or of similar importance in both tropical and temperate seagrass systems. However, areas grazed by large herbivores provide natural experiments in which to test hypotheses on many functional relations in seagrass meadows.  相似文献   

9.
Large benthic foraminifera are major carbonate components in tropical carbonate platforms, important carbonate producers, stratigraphic tools and powerful bioindicators (proxies) of environmental change. The application of large benthic foraminifera in tropical coral reef environments has gained considerable momentum in recent years. These modern ecological assessments are often carried out by micropalaeontologists or ecologists with expertise in the identification of foraminifera. However, large benthic foraminifera have been under-represented in favour of macro reef-builders, for example, corals and calcareous algae. Large benthic foraminifera contribute about 5% to modern reef-scale carbonate sediment production. Their substantial size and abundance are reflected by their symbiotic association with the living algae inside their tests. When the foraminiferal holobiont (the combination between the large benthic foraminifera host and the microalgal photosymbiont) dies, the remaining calcareous test renourishes sediment supply, which maintains and stabilizes shorelines and low-lying islands. Geological records reveal episodes (i.e. late Palaeocene and early Eocene epochs) of prolific carbonate production in warmer oceans than today, and in the absence of corals. This begs for deeper consideration of how large benthic foraminifera will respond under future climatic scenarios of higher atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO2) and to warmer oceans. In addition, studies highlighting the complex evolutionary associations between large benthic foraminifera hosts and their algal photosymbionts, as well as to associated habitats, suggest the potential for increased tolerance to a wide range of conditions. However, the full range of environments where large benthic foraminifera currently dwell is not well-understood in terms of present and future carbonate production, and impact of stressors. The evidence for acclimatization, at least by a few species of well-studied large benthic foraminifera, under intensifying climate change and within degrading reef ecosystems, is a prelude to future host–symbiont resilience under different climatic regimes and habitats than today. This review also highlights knowledge gaps in current understanding of large benthic foraminifera as prolific calcium carbonate producers across shallow carbonate shelf and slope environments under changing ocean conditions.  相似文献   

10.
The Chatham Islands, at the eastern end of the Chatham Rise in the South‐west Pacific, are the emergent part of a Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic stratovolcano complex that is variably covered with limestones and fossiliferous tuffs. Most of these deposits accumulated in relatively shallow, high‐energy, tide‐influenced palaeoenvironments with deposition punctuated by periods of deeper‐water pelagic accumulation. Carbonate components in these neritic deposits are biogenic and dominated by molluscs and bryozoans – a heterozoan assemblage. The widespread Middle to Late Eocene Matanginui Limestone contains local photozoan elements such as large benthonic foraminifera (especially Asterocyclina) and calcareous green algae, reflecting the general Palaeogene sub‐tropical oceanographic setting. More localized Late Eocene to Oligocene deposits (Te One Limestone) as well as Pliocene carbonates (Onoua Limestone) are, however, wholly heterozoan and confirm a generally cooler‐water oceanographic setting, similar to today. Early sea floor diagenesis is interpreted to have removed most aragonite components (infaunal bivalves and epifaunal gastropods). Lack of aragonite resulted in the absence of intergranular calcite cementation during subaerial exposure, such that most carbonates are friable or unlithified. Cementation is, however, present at nodular hardground–firmground caps to metre‐scale cycles. Such cements are microcrystalline or micrometre‐thick isopachous circumgranular rinds with insufficient definitive attributes to pinpoint their environment of formation. The overall palaeoenvironment of deposition is interpreted as mesotrophic, resulting in part from upwelling about the Chatham volcanic massif and in part from nutrient element delivery from the adjacent volcanic terrane and coeval volcanism. Biotic diversity in tuffs is two to three times that in limestones, supporting the notion of especially high nutrient availability during periods of volcanism. These mid‐latitude deposits are strikingly different from their low‐latitude, tropical, photozoan counterparts in the volcanic island–coral reef ecosystem. Ground water seepage and fluvial runoff attenuate coral growth and promote microbial carbonate precipitation in these warm‐water settings. In contrast, nutrients from the same sources feed the system in the Chatham Islands cool‐water setting, promoting active heterozoan carbonate sedimentation.  相似文献   

11.
The identification of sediment drifts typically relies on interpretation of reflection seismic data sets. This study sedimentologically analyzed an example of a carbonate delta drift previously identified in seismics in order to provide a catalogue of characteristic features at core and seismic scale for allowing testing the occurrence of this poorly known type of deposit elsewhere. Cores and downhole logs recovered during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 359 to the Maldives, in combination with seismic data, were analyzed with this objective. The diagnostic criteria for the sedimentological recognition of a delta drift are: (i) the development of sigmoidal clinoforms that thin out towards proximal and distal settings; (ii) a proximal part characterized by coarse‐grained facies with abundant shallow‐water components and distal areas dominated by fine‐grained facies with rare to absent shallow‐water components; (iii) winnowing of the finer fraction in proximal facies; (iv) extensive fragmentation of most of the bioclasts with minor intervals of well‐preserved components; (v) bigradational intervals in the proximal part and large channels in proximal to distal settings; and (vi) the lobe to delta shaped outline of the sediment accumulation. The characteristic shallow‐water fossil assemblage of the Mid to Upper Miocene delta drift consists of large benthic foraminifera (Amphistegina, Cycloclypeus, Lepidocyclina, Operculina and Heterostegina), fragmented red algae and bryozoans, equinoid debris, and Halimeda plates. The deeper‐water part of the drift bodies consists of fine‐grained planktonic foraminifera‐rich wackestone. Condensed intervals may occur as result of enhanced bottom‐current activity. In contrast to siliciclastic drift bodies, the carbonate delta drift has an important contribution by in situ shallow‐water carbonate production reminiscent of a shoal. In situ carbonate production is proposed as a major controlling factor which is as important as the pelagic settling or the shaping by density and bottom currents in siliciclastic drifts. In the absence of three‐dimensional data and in two‐dimensional views the carbonate delta drift sediment bodies resemble carbonate ramps, which indicates that there may be the need to re‐evaluate various cases of such systems described from the geological record.  相似文献   

12.
Calcareous aeolianites are an integral part of many carbonate platforms and ramps. Such limestones are particularly common in heterozoan, Late Cenozoic carbonate systems, and it has been postulated that they could contain a particularly sensitive record of their offshore source. This hypothesis is tested herein by documenting and interpreting part of the most extensive and temporally longest such system in the modern world. The deposits are a combination of extraclasts and biofragments. Extraclasts are detrital quartz, relict allochems, older Pleistocene particles and Oligocene–Miocene limestone clasts. Biofragments are penecontemporaneous coralline algae, echinoderms, small benthic foraminifera, molluscs and bryozoans. The aeolianites differ in composition from distant, open shelf sediments because they contain more mollusc fragments and many fewer bryozoans. This difference is interpreted to be due to (i) most sediment was derived from near‐shore seagrass meadows and macroalgal reefs; (ii) all sediments were modified by hydrodynamics in near‐shore and beach environments; and (iii) fragments of infaunal, beach‐dwelling bivalves were added to the sediment at the strandline. Extraclasts should be expected in older Pleistocene and Cenozoic heterozoan deposits, because the limestones are poorly lithified, largely due to the lack of meteoric cementation, and so easily eroded. Thus, cool‐water aeolianites ought to contain more extraclasts than their warm‐water, tropical cousins. Seagrasses in temperate environments are more productive than in the tropics and thus potentially might contribute many more particles to the beach and dunes than do tropical systems. Although particle breakage in the surf zone cannot be proven, herein the abundance of whole benthic foraminifera and delicate bryozoans implies that suspension and flotsam shoreward transport was an essential process. The similarity of Pleistocene aeolianites over such a long time period herein suggests that the combination of postulated sedimentological, biogenic and hydrodynamic processes could be universally important.  相似文献   

13.

Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs are atoll-like structures that have developed on top of volcanic edifices and are close to the southern environmental limit of reef development in the southwest Pacific. Reef morphology and vertical accretion rates during the Holocene appear similar to those on other more tropical reefs. Sediment samples were collected from the lagoon of both reefs and around the flanks of Middleton Reef. A distinctly chlorozoan assemblage was observed with coral, molluscs, Halimeda, coralline algae and foraminifers being the dominant sediment constituents. Lagoon sediment samples show little variation within or between reefs, lacking the concentric zonation characteristic of larger atolls. Samples collected from the flanks of Middleton Reef, and subsurface material from vibrocores, differ compositionally from the surficial lagoon sand and were typically more tropical in character. A comparison of the sediment constituents from these reefs with those of samples from within a fringing reef and from the shelf around Lord Howe Island, further south, indicated regional patterns in sediment composition. Halimeda rapidly decreased in abundance with increased latitude, and appeared confined to deeper water, whereas coralline red algae increased significantly. The rapid change in these major sediment contributors is coincident with the general decrease in coral growth rates with latitude. This reinforces the notion that the latitudinal limit of reef development is constrained by factors other than coral growth alone.  相似文献   

14.
Oligo–Miocene carbonates associated with the Padthaway Ridge form the southern margin of the Murray Basin, South Australia. The carbonates are a thin, somewhat condensed succession of echinoid and bryozoan‐rich limestones that record accumulation in the complex of islands and seaways and progressive burial of the Ridge through time. The rocks are grainy to muddy bioclastic packstones, grainstones and floatstones, composed of infaunal echinoderms, bryozoans, coralline algae and benthic foraminifera, with lesser contributions from molluscs and serpulid worms. Locally as much as half of these skeletal components are Fe‐stained, relict grains that imbue the lithologies with a conspicuous yellow to orange hue. This variably lithified succession is partitioned into metre‐scale, firmground‐bounded and hardground‐bounded beds textured by extensive Thalassinoides burrows. Dominant lithologies are interpreted as temperate seagrass facies. Limestones contain attributes indicative of both seagrass‐dominated palaeoenvironments and carbonate production and accumulation on unconsolidated, barren sandflat palaeoenvironments. Together these two depositional systems are thought to have generated a single multigenerational, amalgamated facies recording sedimentation within a complex temperate seagrass environment. Limestones overlying the Padthaway Ridge reflect a gradually warming climate, increasing water temperature and decreasing nutrient content, within the framework of a ridge gradually being buried in sediment. This succession from cool–temperate to warm–temperate to subtropical through time permits recognition of the relative influence of changing oceanography on a seagrass‐dominated shallow inter‐island sea floor. Criteria are proposed herein to enable future recognition of similar temperate seagrass facies in Cenozoic limestones elsewhere.  相似文献   

15.
Water column optical properties of Greater Florida Bay were investigated in the context of their impacts on seagrass distribution. Scattering played an important role in light attenuation throughout the shallow water system. The northwest region was characterized by an absence of seagrasses and the highest scattering by particles, mostly from resuspended carbonate sediments. Higher seagrass densities were observed in the open waters just north of the Florida Keys, where absorption coefficients were dominated by colored dissolved organic material and scattering was lower than in the northwest region. Patchy dense seagrass meadows were observed in the clear waters south of the Keys where scattering and absorption were low and contributed equally to light attenuation. In general, seagrasses were observed in areas where >7.5% of surface irradiance reached the plants and where optical properties were not dominated by scattering. Although the prevention of eutrophication and nuisance algal blooms may be necessary for preserving seagrass meadows in this system, our observations and model calculations indicate that nutrient control alone may be insufficient to permit seagrass recolonization if optical properties are dominated by particulate scattering from resuspended sediments.  相似文献   

16.
Strongly influenced by seasonal and interannual (i.e. El Niño‐Southern Oscillation) upwelling, the equatorial setting of the Galápagos Archipelago is divided into well‐defined temperature, nutrient and calcium carbonate saturation (Ωaragonite) regions. To understand the relationship between oceanographic properties and sediment grain associations, grain size, carbonate content and components from sea floor surface samples were analysed, representing the main geographical regions of the Galápagos Archipelago. The shallow‐water rocky reefs of the Galápagos Archipelago are characterized by mixed carbonate–siliciclastic slightly gravelly sands. Despite minor differences in carbonate content, major differences exist in the distribution and composition of key carbonate producing biota. Halimeda is absent and benthic foraminifera occur in extremely low abundance. The western side of the Galápagos Archipelago is strongly influenced by nutrient‐rich, low‐Ωaragonite, subtropical water, which generates a heterozoan carbonate biofacies in a tropical realm resembling cold‐water counterparts (i.e. serpulid, echinoderm, gastropod, barnacle and bryozoan‐rich facies). The Central East region is composed of a transitional‐heterozoan biofacies. Biofacies observed in the northern region have an increased occurrence of tropical corals, albeit with a minor overall contribution to the carbonate components. Although the temperature gradient would allow for a broader distribution of photozoan biofacies, the increased nutrient concentration and related reduced light penetration from the upwelled waters favour heterozoan carbonate factories, mimicking cool‐water, deeper or higher latitude environments. The recent sedimentary record of the Galápagos Archipelago presents a range of tropical heterozoan carbonate communities, responding to more than simply latitude or temperature but a much more complex mixture of physical, evolutionary and geological processes.  相似文献   

17.
Lower Priabonian coral bioherms and biostromes, encased in prodelta marls/clays, occur in the Aínsa‐Jaca piggyback basin, in the South Central Pyrenean zone. Detailed mapping of lithofacies and bounding surfaces onto photomosaics reveals the architecture of coral buildups. Coral lithosomes occur either isolated or amalgamated in larger buildups. Isolated lithosomes are 1 to 8 m thick and a few hundred metres wide; clay content within coral colonies is significant. Stacked bioherms form low‐relief buildups, commonly 20 to 30 m thick, locally up to 50 m. These bioherms are progressively younger to the west, following progradation of the deltaic complex. The lowermost skeletal‐rich beds consist of bryozoan floatstone with wackestone to packstone matrix, in which planktonic foraminifera are abundant and light‐related organisms absent. Basal coral biostromes, and the base of many bioherms, consist of platy‐coral colonies ‘floating’ in a fine‐grained matrix rich in branches of red algae. Corals with domal or massive shape, locally mixed with branching corals and phaceloid coral colonies, dominate buildup cores. These corals are surrounded by matrix and lack organic framework. The matrix consists of wackestone to packstone, locally floatstone, with conspicuous red algal and coral fragments, along with bryozoans, planktonic and benthonic foraminifera and locally sponges. Coral rudstone and skeletal packstone, with wackestone to packstone matrix, also occur as wedges abutting the buildup margins. Integrative analysis of rock textures, skeletal components, buildup anatomy and facies architecture clearly reveal that these coral buildups developed in a prodelta setting where shifting of delta lobes or rainfall cycles episodically resulted in water transparency that allowed zooxanthellate coral growth. The bathymetric position of the buildups has been constrained from the light‐dependent communities and lithofacies distribution within the buildups. The process‐product analysis used here reinforces the hypothesis that zooxanthellate corals thrived in mesophotic conditions at least during the Late Eocene and until the Late Miocene. Comparative analysis with some selected Upper Eocene coral buildups of the north Mediterranean area show similarities in facies, components and textures, and suggest that they also grew in relatively low light (mesophotic) and low hydrodynamic conditions.  相似文献   

18.
Species of the macroalgae Caulerpa sp. are increasingly being observed in meadows of the endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, and in particular Caulerpa taxifolia, has been considered as an invasive species leading to seagrass decline. Studies have so far failed to reveal the underlying mechanisms of the success of the macroalgae, and here, we examine how biogeochemical changes of the environment associated to indigenous (Caulerpa prolifera) and non-indigenous (Caulerpa racemosa and C. taxifolia) species affect the habitat of P. oceanica. Two of the species (C. prolifera and C. racemosa) affect the sediment biogeochemical conditions by increasing organic matter pools, microbial activity, and sulfide pools of the sediments, and limited effects were found for C. taxifolia. Biomass of the macroalgae contributed to the extent of impacts, and high sulfide invasion into the seagrasses and regression of the meadow were pronounced at the location with the highest Caulerpa biomass. This suggests that Caulerpa invasion contributes to seagrass decline probably because Caulerpa thrives better than the seagrasses in the modified environment.  相似文献   

19.
Studies of seagrass meadows have shown that the production of algal epiphytes attached to seagrass blades approaches 20% of the seagrass production and that epiphytes are more important as food for associated fauna than are the more refractory seagrass blades. Since epiphytes may compete with seagrasses for light and water column nutrients, excessive epiphytic fouling could have serious consequences for seagrass growth. We summarize much of the literature on epiphytegrazer relationships in seagrass meadows within the context of seagrass growth and production. We also provide insights from mathematical modeling simulations of these relationships for a Chesapeake BayZostera marina meadow. Finally we focus on future research needs for more completely understanding the influences that epiphyte grazers have on seagrass production.  相似文献   

20.
Patterns of sediment composition of Jamaican fringing reef facies   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  
Recent carbonate sediments from Jamaican north coast fringing reefs were collected along three parallel traverses in the vicinity of Discovery Bay. Each traverse extended from near shore across the back reef, reef crest, and fore reef to a depth of 75 m. Relative abundances of the biotic constituents vary between sites, reflecting general patterns of reef community composition. The sediment is dominated by highly comminuted coral fragments (27·1% to 63·1%), plates of the calcareous green alga Halimeda (0·4% to 38·7%), coralline algae (4·7% to 16·2%) and the encrusting foraminiferan Homotrema rubrum (0·7% to 9·5%), with lesser amounts of other taxonomic groups (non-encrusting foraminifera 1·3–5·5%; molluscs 1·4–7·0%; echinoderms 0·9–5·0%). Coral fragments, coralline algae and particles of Homotrema rubrum dominate the sediments of the shallow portions of the fore reef (5–15 m), whereas plates of Halimeda are most abundant in sediments from the back reef and deeper portions of the fore reef ( 24 m). Q-mode cluster analysis, using sediment constituent data, resulted in the delineation of four reef biofacies over the depth range of this study (1–75 m).  相似文献   

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