Open AccessMorphologic and molecular diversity of the foraminiferal genus Globocassidulina in Admiralty Bay, King George Island
Author(s) -
Wojciech Majewski,
Jan Pawłowski
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
antarctic science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.617
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1365-2079
pISSN - 0954-1020
DOI - 10.1017/s0954102010000106
Subject(s) - shetland , bay , george (robot) , oceanography , genus , geology , biology , waves and shallow water , paleontology , geography , ecology , artificial intelligence , computer science
Four distinctive morphological types can be found among living Globocassidulina in surface sediments of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, South Shetland Islands). The molecular analysis of the SSU and ITS rDNA indicates that they are monospecific and belong to Globocassidulina biora , except for minute forms from deeper than 200 m water depth which probably represent G. subglobosa . The morphological types of G. biora that show doubled or branched apertures, varied test size and shape as well as colour of cytoplasm, represent populations at different stages of ontogenetic development. However, the variability among large G. biora from the same locations is difficult to comprehend. It seems probable that G. biora is the only recent, large, shallow water Globocassidulina represented throughout the Antarctica, while G. crassa is typical for the Magellan region.