Cold-water coral ecosystems represent unique and exceptionally diverse environments in the deep-sea. They are well developed along the Irish margin, varying broadly in shape and size. The Moira Mounds, numerous small-sized mounds, are nestled in the Belgica Mound Province (Porcupine Seabight, North-East Atlantic). The investigation of living (Rose Bengal stained) and dead benthic foraminiferal assemblages from these mounds allowed to describe their distribution patterns and to evaluate their response to environmental variability. Quantitative data was statistically treated to define groups of species/genera associated to specific habitats. The Moira Mounds differ from their larger neighbours by the reduced spatial variability of benthic foraminiferal assemblages, living assemblages only distinguishing coral-rich and coral-barren areas. The ecological needs of corals are highlighted by the abundance of Alabaminella weddellensis and Nonionella iridea , phytodetritus-feeding species in coral supporting sediments. Living foraminifera in sediments from the Moira Mounds concentrate in the upper first centimetre. Infaunal species may be affected by bioturbation and/or reworking by the strong currents in the area. Dead foraminiferal assemblages from the Moira Mounds resemble those described for the sandwave facies in adjacent giant mounds, suggesting similar processes in facies deposition.

中文翻译：

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深海高能环境中的有孔有孔虫：莫伊拉丘陵（爱尔兰西南部豪猪海豹）

冷水珊瑚生态系统代表着深海中独特而异常多样化的环境。它们沿爱尔兰边缘发达，形状和大小各不相同。莫伊拉土墩（Moira Mound）是众多小土墩，坐落在比利时土墩省（Porcupine Seabight，东北大西洋）。对这些土墩的活体（玫瑰红染色）和死底栖有孔虫组合的研究可以描述它们的分布方式，并评估它们对环境变化的响应。对定量数据进行统计处理，以定义与特定栖息地相关的物种/属群。莫伊拉土墩与底栖有孔虫组合的空间变异性降低，而其较大的邻居则不同，活体组合仅能区分出珊瑚丰富和珊瑚贫瘠的地区。 珊瑚支撑沉积物中以植食植物的物种 Alweminella weddellensis 和 Nionionella iridea 。莫伊拉丘陵沉积物中的活有孔虫集中在第一厘米的上部。不受欢迎的物种可能会受到该地区的强烈干扰而受到生物扰动和/或返工的影响。来自莫伊拉丘陵的死有孔虫组合类似于为相邻巨型丘陵的沙波相描述的那些，表明相沉积过程相似。