New records of benthic foraminifera in the surface sediments of the Little Neston saltmarsh of the Dee Estuary in England, UK.

Abstract

We investigated the community composition of benthic foraminifera in surface sediments taken from 8 sample stations in the Little Neston salt marsh, in England (UK). Constrained cluster analyses determined a zonation pattern in the spatial variability, composition, and richness of benthic foraminiferal species relative to the tidal frame that was constrained by elevation and salinity (as a secondary influence) in our study area. Stations across the high and mid marshes contained a high proportion of agglutinated foraminifera, whereas the low marsh and mudflats were dominated by calcareous species, which is consistent with reports from other latitudinally similar salt marsh habitats. The exceptionally low proportion of morphological abnormalities in the foraminiferal tests that we sampled suggests that the Little Neston salt marsh is a pristine, unpolluted environment. New micropaleontological occurrence records for the Little Neston salt marsh are presented, which will be useful for reconstructing Holocene relative sea-level changes and contribute to global databases: PANGAEA® Data Publisher.