Protein biomass quantification of unbroken individual foraminifers using nano-spectrophotometry

[摘要] The ecological role of foraminifers has been largely unknown partly owing todifficulties in determining their individual biomass, although foraminifersare abundant in surface marine sediments. The present study provides areliable and inexpensive method for the quantification of the protein contentof hard-shelled foraminifers as a measure of biomass while preserving thetests for later analyses (e.g. morphometry, stable isotopes), usingnano-spectrophotometry. The protein biomass, is significantly correlated withsize, and shell weight of Ammonia tepida (n = 102, p < 0.00001,R² = 0.462, and n = 181, p < 0.00001, R² = 0.855). Variability inthe relation between test size and weight, and cell biomass may result fromnatural variability in horizontal and vertical microenvironments encompassingmetabolic state, as well as variability in test morphometry and calcite mass(i.e. test weight). In turn, knowing the size- and species-specific biomassof foraminifers adds valuable information on the trophic and ecologicconditions of modern and ancient marine environments, in particular on thereconstruction of the regional palaeoproductivity and flux of organic matter.

[学科分类] 地球化学与岩石