Diversity of foraminifera in a shallow restricted lagoon in Bahrain

Abstract

We document the foraminiferal diversity across a semi-enclosed pool in eastern Bahrain that we named “Murray’s Pool†because this is the same location as the one studied by Basson and Murray (1995), the only previous study of foraminifera in this sector of the Arabian Gulf. We subdivided the sampling area into six subenvironments based on distinguishable physical environmental features, namely tidal channel, tidal flat, Salicornia marsh, algal mat, sheltered inner lagoon, and back marsh pool. Faunal analysis from these six shallow-water subenvironments reveals two main assemblages of benthic foraminifera: an Ammonia convexa-Elphidium advenum-Peneroplis pertusus assemblage and an Ammonia convexa-Coscinospira hemprichii-Peneroplis pertusus assemblage. The most abundant species across all the subenvironments are Peneroplis pertusus, Ammonia convexa, Coscinospira hemprichii, and Elphidium advenum. Species assemblage composition and percentage abundances were determined for each subenvironment; the tidal flat subenvironment shows the highest total abundance, but has twenty-four fewer species compared to the sheltered inner lagoon. We also noted the proportions of living foraminifera and juveniles in all the subenvironments to understand the distribution of biofacies within the lagoon. The numbers of juvenile miliolid foraminifera are highest in the tidal channel and the two adjacent subenvironments of the tidal channel.