Planktonic foraminifera are important calcifiers in the modern ocean. Despite this importance, the main functions of foraminifera's test and ornamentation such as spines are unclear. Spinose species dominate the planktonic foraminifera population in subtropical oligotrophic gyres, while non-spinose species dominate in deeper waters and at high latitudes suggesting that spines help foraminifera in food-limited areas. Here we take a novel approach to investigate the benefits of spines on foraminifera foraging using a 0-D trait-based ecosystem model. The model considers the traits of size, calcification, spines, passive feeding, and diet. We assess how the presence of spines impact foraminifera diet and fitness via a series of simulated environments representing oligo, meso- and eutrophic settings at different temperatures. We find that independent of diet, non-spinose taxa need to be more size-generalist predators than other zooplankton species to maintain their population. In contrast, spinose species benefit from a relatively higher surface-to-volume ratio compared to non-spinose species, which allows them to be as generalist as other zooplankton groups. In agreement with observations, we find that herbivory is the most successful diet in cold environments, while carnivory allows foraminifera to be more successful in warm environments.

浮游有孔虫是现代海洋中重要的钙化物。尽管如此重要，但有孔虫的测试和装饰（例如刺）的主要功能尚不清楚。有刺物种在亚热带贫营养环流中占主导地位的浮游有孔虫种群，而非有刺物种在更深的水域和高纬度地区占主导地位，这表明刺在食物有限的地区有助于有孔虫。在这里，我们采用一种新颖的方法来使用基于 0-D 特征的生态系统模型来研究刺对有孔虫觅食的好处。该模型考虑了大小、钙化、刺、被动进食和饮食等特征。我们通过一系列代表不同温度下的寡、中和富营养环境的模拟环境来评估刺的存在如何影响有孔虫的饮食和健康。我们发现，独立于饮食，非刺类群需要比其他浮游动物物种更具体型多面性，以维持其种群。相比之下，与非刺糖物种相比，刺糖物种受益于相对较高的表面积与体积比，这使它们能够像其他浮游动物群体一样具有通用性。与观察结果一致，我们发现食草动物是寒冷环境中最成功的饮食，而食肉动物使有孔虫在温暖环境中更成功。