Abstract Benthic foraminifera are valuable indicators in environmental studies, including those on marine pollution monitoring. While a great deal of foraminiferal biomonitoring research utilizes abundance and distributional data, further value resides in better understanding the incorporation of heavy metal pollutants in foraminiferal calcite. By experimentally growing assemblages of foraminifera from propagules (small juveniles) gathered from Sapelo Island, Georgia and Little Duck Key, Florida, this study examines foraminiferal incorporation of the heavy metals arsenic, cadmium, nickel, and zinc over a range of concentrations. Surface sediment was collected and sieved to concentrate the propagules. The propagules were then used to experimentally grow assemblages with each exposed to a different heavy metal. After one month, the experimentally grown foraminifera were harvested and samples of the two most common species from each location, Ammonia tepida (Cushman) and Haynesina germanica (Ehrenberg) from Sapelo Island and Quinqueloculina sabulosa (Cushman) and Triloculina oblonga (Montagu) from Little Duck Key, were selected for trace element analysis. Calcite of the tests was analyzed using LA-ICP-MS to quantify the heavy metal incorporation. Rotalid species A. tepida and H. germanica incorporated more cadmium as its concentration in the surrounding water increased, whereas miliolid species Q. sabulosa and T. oblonga incorporated more of the metals zinc and nickel. This study shows that while foraminiferal incorporation of heavy metals has great potential as a biomonitoring tool, multiple factors (especially inter-clade variation) must be considered carefully. In future marine environmental research, these factors may help to create a more targeted assessment of environmental pollution.

中文翻译：

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在来自佐治亚州 SAPELO 岛和美国佛罗里达州的小鸭子岛实验种植的有孔虫中掺入重金属

摘要 底栖有孔虫是环境研究中的重要指标，包括海洋污染监测。虽然大量有孔虫生物监测研究利用了丰度和分布数据，但进一步的价值在于更好地了解重金属污染物在有孔虫方解石中的掺入。通过从佐治亚州萨佩洛岛和佛罗里达州小鸭礁收集的繁殖体（小型幼体）中实验性地培养有孔虫的组合，本研究检查了重金属砷、镉、镍和锌在一定浓度范围内的有孔虫掺入情况。收集表层沉积物并过筛以浓缩繁殖体。然后将繁殖体用于实验性地生长组合，每个组合都暴露于不同的重金属。一个月后，收获了实验生长的有孔虫，每个地点的两种最常见物种的样本，来自 Sapelo 岛的 Ammonia tepida (Cushman) 和 Haynesina Germanica (Ehrenberg) 和来自 Little Duck Key 的 Quinqueloculina sabulosa (Cushman) 和 Triloculina oblonga (Montagu)选择用于微量元素分析。使用 LA-ICP-MS 分析测试的方解石以量化重金属掺入。Rotalid 物种 A. tepida 和 H. Germanica 随着其在周围水中浓度的增加而吸收了更多的镉，而兔科动物 Q. sabulosa 和 T. oblonga 吸收了更多的金属锌和镍。这项研究表明，虽然有孔虫掺入重金属具有作为生物监测工具的巨大潜力，但必须仔细考虑多种因素（尤其是进化枝间变异）。