Articles | Volume 45, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-45-679-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-45-679-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
31 Aug 2026
Research article |
| 31 Aug 2026
| 31 Aug 2026
Temporal and spatial variability in mudflat and mangrove foraminiferal eDNA communities in subtropical environments and their implication for sea-level reconstruction
Zhaojia Liu
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Howard K. Y. Yu
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Magali Schweizer
Université d'Angers, Nantes Université, Le Mans Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences, LPG UMR 6112, 49000 Angers, France
Jennifer S. Walker
Department of Environmental Science, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
Celia Schunter
Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Constance Choquel, Emmanuelle Geslin, Edouard Metzger, Bruno Jesus, Antoine Prins, Emilie Houliez, Magali Schweizer, Thierry Jauffrais, Éric Bénéteau, and Aurélia Mouret
J. Micropalaeontol., 45, 51–72, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-45-51-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-45-51-2026, 2026
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We studied how tiny shelled organisms called foraminifera living in coastal mudflats respond to changes in their microscopic algae food. By monitoring a French mudflat every month for 3 years, we showed that seasonal environmental changes strongly shape both algae and foraminifera. Using simple algae traits such as size and shape explained feeding patterns better than identifying algae species, offering a clearer way to predict ecosystem responses to environmental change.
Irina Polovodova Asteman, Emilie Jaffré, Agata Olejnik, Maria Holzmann, Mary McGann, Kjell Nordberg, Jean-Charles Pavard, Delia Rösel, and Magali Schweizer
J. Micropalaeontol., 44, 119–143, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-119-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-119-2025, 2025
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Small boat harbours are suggested to cause pollution and alien species introductions. Here we analysed surface sediments in Hinsholmskilen harbour (Sweden) for benthic foraminifera and potentially toxic elements. Molecular and morphological analyses of foraminifera show the presence of two alien species, Trochammina hadai and Ammonia confertitesta, whilst pollution is mostly low for Cd, Co, Ni, and Pb. In contrast, As, Zn, Cu, Hg, and Cr have high levels due to the use of these elements in boat paints.
Christiane Schmidt, Emmanuelle Geslin, Joan M. Bernhard, Charlotte LeKieffre, Mette Marianne Svenning, Helene Roberge, Magali Schweizer, and Giuliana Panieri
Biogeosciences, 19, 3897–3909, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3897-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3897-2022, 2022
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This study is the first to show non-selective deposit feeding in the foraminifera Nonionella labradorica and the possible uptake of methanotrophic bacteria. We carried out a feeding experiment with a marine methanotroph to examine the ultrastructure of the cell and degradation vacuoles using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results revealed three putative methanotrophs at the outside of the cell/test, which could be taken up via non-targeted grazing in seeps or our experiment.
Inda Brinkmann, Christine Barras, Tom Jilbert, Tomas Næraa, K. Mareike Paul, Magali Schweizer, and Helena L. Filipsson
Biogeosciences, 19, 2523–2535, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2523-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2523-2022, 2022
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The concentration of the trace metal barium (Ba) in coastal seawater is a function of continental input, such as riverine discharge. Our geochemical records of the severely hot and dry year 2018, and following wet year 2019, reveal that prolonged drought imprints with exceptionally low Ba concentrations in benthic foraminiferal calcium carbonates of coastal sediments. This highlights the potential of benthic Ba / Ca to trace past climate extremes and variability in coastal marine records.
Erica L. Ashe, Nicole S. Khan, Lauren T. Toth, Andrea Dutton, and Robert E. Kopp
Adv. Stat. Clim. Meteorol. Oceanogr., 8, 1–29, https://doi.org/10.5194/ascmo-8-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ascmo-8-1-2022, 2022
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We develop a new technique to integrate realistic uncertainties in probabilistic models of past sea-level change. The new framework performs better than past methods (in precision, accuracy, bias, and model fit) because it enables the incorporation of previously unused data and exploits correlations in the data. This method has the potential to assess the validity of past estimates of extreme sea-level rise and highstands providing better context in which to place current sea-level change.
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Short summary
We studied how genetic material from foraminifera in Hong Kong mangroves and mudflats varies through seasons and how this affects records of past sea levels. Over 2 years, communities in mangroves were relatively stable, allowing accurate estimates of elevation relative to the sea. The mudflat–mangrove transitional zone changed with season, causing biased estimates. Mangroves are therefore more accurate than mudflats for tracking past sea-level change.
We studied how genetic material from foraminifera in Hong Kong mangroves and mudflats varies...
