The shallow marine carbonates of Kutch temporally correspond to the globally recognised warming period called Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) that extended from later part of planktic foraminiferal zone E11 to E12 and Shallow Benthic Zone (SBZ) 17. The present study aims to investigate how foraminifera responded ecologically to the warming event. It involves identification and distribution of foraminifera, and cluster and detrended correspondence analyses of the species distribution data. Selected samples across E11 and E12 were analysed for carbon isotopes. The major conclusions are: (i) bloom of Jenkinsina columbiana in zone E11, possibly marking the initiation of warming in a shallow, eutrophic sea, (ii) increased foraminiferal diversity, appearance of Orbulinoides beckmanni and Acarinina and a sharp rise in the sea level in the early part of E12 (iii) significant jump in diversity and abundance of larger benthic foraminifera in E12, signifying warm, clear-water oligotrophic seas, promoting the formation of platform carbonates, (iv) MECO does not seem to have adversely impacted the foraminifera in shallow seas, and larger benthic foraminifera were rather ultimately superior in their diversity, abundance, size and latitudinal distribution and (v) δ13C excursions up to 1.5 ‰ are noted in the upper parts of E11 and lower parts of E12.

中文翻译：

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印度卡奇始新世中期气候适宜期有孔虫生态

Kutch 的浅海碳酸盐岩在时间上对应于全球公认的变暖期，称为中始新世气候最适 (MECO)，从浮游有孔虫区 E11 的后期延伸到 E12 和浅底底栖区 (SBZ) 17。本研究旨在调查如何有孔虫对变暖事件做出了生态反应。它涉及有孔虫的识别和分布，以及物种分布数据的聚类和去趋势对应分析。对 E11 和 E12 中选定的样品进行碳同位素分析。主要结论是：(i) E11 区 Jenkinsina columbiana 的大量繁殖，可能标志着浅水富营养化海洋变暖的开始，(ii) 有孔虫多样性增加，