The biodiversity and abundance of benthic foraminifera tend to increase with distance within a transect from the Rainbow hydrothermal vent field. Miliolids dominate closer to the vents and may be better adapted to the potentially hydrothermal conditions than hyaline and agglutinated species. The reason for this remains unclear, but there are indications that elevated trace-metal concentrations in the porewater and intrusion of acidic hydrothermal fluids could have an influence on the foraminifera.

Pulleniatina is a genus of planktonic foraminifera used in biostratigraphy. Here, we illustrate typical specimens of Pulleniatina and the likely ancestor Neogloboquadrina acostaensis from International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1488. We present a novel integration of high-definition light microscopy images, X-ray microcomputed tomography data, and scanning electron microscope images to compare the six Pulleniatina species, supporting an evolutionary model with two diverging lineages.

This study evaluates benthic foraminifera as indicators of environmental health in Brazil’s coastal waters and tests Foram-AMBI using a regional species list and criteria for ecological quality status (EcoQS). A total of 95 species were classified into five groups based on their response to total organic carbon. Data from Sepetiba Bay and Guanabara Bay validated these groups, showing that Foram-AMBI accurately reflects ecological conditions. The study highlights the importance of regional species lists for biomonitoring.

Foraminifera are microorganisms which, due to their abundance and diversity, are often used as proxies to describe climatic changes in marine environments. For this purpose, experiments containing antibiotics that are intended to reduce the activity of other microorganisms are carried out with foraminifera. In our study, we examined the influence of antibiotics on foraminifera and tested whether these chemicals are really harmless for foraminifera or not.

The foraminifer Trochammina hadai, native to Asia, has been found in the USA, Canada, Sweden, France, Brazil, and Australia coastal waters. The primary vectors of introduction include mariculture of oysters and the plant matter in which they were shipped, as well as the release of ballast water/sediment in receiving ports. Secondary introductions occur by mud attached to anchors of fishing and pleasure boats. Globally, the species has spread rapidly, impacting native species and local biodiversity.

Anticosti Island holds a well-preserved rock record of the Silurian, offering a unique look at chitinozoan microfossil evolution. During the late Aeronian event, we recognise the emergence and radiation of highly ornamented species, challenging the typical extinction pattern we observe in other Silurian events. This study also fills an important gap in the microfossil record of Anticosti Island, improving our understanding of this critical time. 

In order to evaluate how long-lasting industrial metal pollution is affecting microorganism communities inhabiting contaminated sediments in the Gulf of Naples, samples were taken, analyzed, and compared to an unpolluted area. It was revealed that industrial activity caused the sediment to be highly enriched in different metals and that, consequently, the local microorganism community changed as well. This is important because the investigated microorganisms play a crucial role in their ecosystem.

New fossils from Romania help to define the important geological time boundary at the base of the Anisian stage – this time interval includes the last phase of recovery of ecosystems from a major mass extinction event a few million years prior. The rocks of this age in Romania are some of the best in the world, and the new fossil collections will help to allow more precise units of time to be discerned.

Three flow‑through culturing systems used in lab culturing experiments were reviewed for time to reach chemical equilibrium. This time varied when molybdenum seawater concentration was doubled but not at 5-fold. Two foraminiferal growth experiments show small changes recorded between several low marine molybdenum concentrations. Greater utilization of adsorption-resistant materials in experimental design is advised when researching very low oceanic elemental concentrations of trace metals.

Due to their size (< 1 mm), studying the impact of benthic foraminifera on their ecosystem can be challenging. The purpose of this article is to describe a new methodology that will lead to a better understanding, through their bioturbating activities, of the role of benthic foraminifera in marine ecosystems. It also compares this new method with the current one. We demonstrate that the new method is much more precise and quicker than the previous one.