Hood Canal benthic sub-regions as described by foraminiferal assemblage
Presentation Abstract
Studies using benthic foraminiferal assemblages to assess changes in environmental conditions have been pioneered by the Puget Sound Foram Research project (University of Washington), and have focused on anthropogenically impacted embayments. Foraminifera are marine, shelled, unicellular protists that are sensitive to environmental perturbation. This study utilized foraminfera obtained from 113 grab samples collected at the sediment-water interface along Hood Canal in six non-consecutive years from 1985. Forty-one foraminiferal species inhabited Hood Canal with an average of 10 species per sample in the upper canal and 12 species per sample in the lower canal. Higher diversity and higher rates of shell dissolution are also found in the southern canal. Linear regressions, hierarchical clustering analysis and canonical correspondence analysis show that this large, restricted waterway is home to many distinct assemblages of foraminifera, which indicate the presence of smaller scale, local habitats within the canal. Five sub-regions are classified: the northern portion of the main canal, smaller impacted embayments such as Quilcene and Port Gamble, the midsection, the Great Bend, and Lynch Cove. Each region has unique environmental parameters including water acidity, economic use, point sources of pollution, and fresh water input; these are reflected in the species components of the regional assemblages. Impacted embayments have foraminiferal assemblages with pollution tolerant taxa such as Eggerella advena, higher dissolution rates of calcareous species, and the invasive species Trochammina hadai. Assemblages in the southern regions have taxa that are tolerant of low oxygen events, and these regions experience seasonal hypoxic cycles. This study aims to lay the groundwork for future investigations into environmental and habitat stressors within each of the sub-regions.
Session Title
Posters: Species & Food Webs
Conference Track
SSE18: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE18-109
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 1:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events); posters
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Foraminifera--Washington (State)--Hood Canal Watershed; Benthic animals--Washington (State)--Hood Canal Watershed; Ecological disturbances--Washington (State)--Hood Canal Watershed
Geographic Coverage
Hood Canal Watershed (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Hood Canal benthic sub-regions as described by foraminiferal assemblage
Studies using benthic foraminiferal assemblages to assess changes in environmental conditions have been pioneered by the Puget Sound Foram Research project (University of Washington), and have focused on anthropogenically impacted embayments. Foraminifera are marine, shelled, unicellular protists that are sensitive to environmental perturbation. This study utilized foraminfera obtained from 113 grab samples collected at the sediment-water interface along Hood Canal in six non-consecutive years from 1985. Forty-one foraminiferal species inhabited Hood Canal with an average of 10 species per sample in the upper canal and 12 species per sample in the lower canal. Higher diversity and higher rates of shell dissolution are also found in the southern canal. Linear regressions, hierarchical clustering analysis and canonical correspondence analysis show that this large, restricted waterway is home to many distinct assemblages of foraminifera, which indicate the presence of smaller scale, local habitats within the canal. Five sub-regions are classified: the northern portion of the main canal, smaller impacted embayments such as Quilcene and Port Gamble, the midsection, the Great Bend, and Lynch Cove. Each region has unique environmental parameters including water acidity, economic use, point sources of pollution, and fresh water input; these are reflected in the species components of the regional assemblages. Impacted embayments have foraminiferal assemblages with pollution tolerant taxa such as Eggerella advena, higher dissolution rates of calcareous species, and the invasive species Trochammina hadai. Assemblages in the southern regions have taxa that are tolerant of low oxygen events, and these regions experience seasonal hypoxic cycles. This study aims to lay the groundwork for future investigations into environmental and habitat stressors within each of the sub-regions.
