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Upper Oligocene to Pleistocene planktonic foraminifera stratigraphy at North Atlantic DSDP Site 407, Reykjanes Ridge: diversity trends and biozonation using modern Neogene taxonomic concepts
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Geological Sciences. Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, The Bolin Centre for Climate Research (together with KTH & SMHI).ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6014-520X
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Geological Sciences. Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, The Bolin Centre for Climate Research (together with KTH & SMHI).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1165-7660
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Geological Sciences. Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, The Bolin Centre for Climate Research (together with KTH & SMHI).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2843-2898
Number of Authors: 42025 (English)In: Journal of Micropalaeontology, ISSN 0262-821X, E-ISSN 2041-4978, Vol. 44, no 1, p. 1-78Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Site 407, located near the Reykjanes Ridge (southwest of Iceland) offers a rare and extensive record of Late Cenozoic planktonic foraminifera evolution spanning the Neogene and Quaternary periods. This ca. 300 m sequence provides a nearly continuous record of planktonic foraminifera with mostly good preservation quality, aiding the study of pelagic diversity changes over the past 25 million years as the modern North Atlantic Ocean system evolved. Initially investigated in 1979 by Poore, this study presents a taxonomic reassessment of upper Oligocene to Pleistocene planktonic foraminifera at Site 407, including species range documentation, assemblage analysis, biostratigraphic zonation, and age modelling based on planktonic foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils, and scanning electron microscopy. This study employs modern taxonomic perspectives that integrate morphological and stratophenetic frameworks for fossil species with genetic data for taxa having living representatives. Systematic species counts enable quantitative diversity analysis, with a particular focus on the genus Neogloboquadrina, which becomes increasingly prevalent at Site 407 from the late Neogene to Quaternary. The planktonic foraminifera assemblages at Site 407 exhibit a contraction in diversity and a shift in species dominance, notably around 160 m b.s.f. (metres below seafloor) (ca. 8.9–16.5 Ma) and 56 m b.s.f. (ca. 2–3.4 Ma). The upper Oligocene and lower Miocene include species belonging to the genera CatapsydraxGloboturborotalitaDentoglobigerina, and Paragloborotalia. An acme of “Ciperoella” pseudociperoensis (lower and middle Miocene), still of uncertain generic affiliation, may have biostratigraphic use. Well-preserved Turborotalita quinqueloba are relatively common throughout the sequence. In Oligocene and Miocene material, T. quinqueloba is accompanied by Tenuitella spp. From the upper Miocene onwards, neogloboquadrinids including Neogloboquadrina praeatlanticaN. atlanticaN. incompta, and N. pachyderma become increasingly common and dominate Pliocene assemblages, together with Globigerina bulloides. Assemblages with an increasingly high-latitude nature, i.e. where N. pachyderma dominates, take over in the lower Pleistocene. Multiple hiatuses are recorded, of which the largest is ca. 8 million years long, separating the middle and upper Miocene (8.9–16.5 Ma; 158.56–160.06 m b.s.f.). Continuous biozonation at Site 407 is challenged by limited species diversity and the absence of standard low-latitude biozone markers, rendering standard schemes ineffective. Recognizable biozones include the low-latitude O7 and M1 Zones in the late Oligocene and early Miocene, respectively; the high-latitude Neogloboquadrina atlantica sinistral Zone in the late Miocene and Pliocene; the Globoconella inflata Zone in the late Pliocene; and the Neogloboquadrina pachyderma Zone in the Pleistocene. The nannofossil biozonation faces similar challenges. A revised biostratigraphic age model integrates calibrated planktonic foraminifera and nannofossil events, incorporating abundant species like “C.” pseudociperoensisN. atlantica dextral and sinistral, Globoconella puncticulataG. inflata, and N. pachyderma. These findings are expected to contribute to the Neogene–Quaternary Middle Atlas of planktonic foraminifera and potentially improve the use of neogloboquadrinids in palaeoceanography and biostratigraphy.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. Vol. 44, no 1, p. 1-78
National Category
Geology Palaeontology and Palaeoecology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-240065DOI: 10.5194/jm-44-1-2025ISI: 001389923300001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85214312243OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-240065DiVA, id: diva2:1941865
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 31001728Available from: 2025-03-03 Created: 2025-03-03 Last updated: 2025-10-01Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Tracing Neogloboquadrina: Biostratigraphy, Palaeoceanography, and Evolutionary Adaptations from the Neogene to the Quaternary in the North Atlantic-Arctic Region
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Tracing Neogloboquadrina: Biostratigraphy, Palaeoceanography, and Evolutionary Adaptations from the Neogene to the Quaternary in the North Atlantic-Arctic Region
2025 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Planktonic foraminifera, marine heterotrophic protists with calcite tests, are widely used in palaeoceanographic and palaeoclimatic reconstructions. Recent advances in marine biology and molecular genetics continue to refine our understanding of their diversity and ecology, enhancing their utility as palaeoenvironmental proxies. However, reliable application still depends on robust taxonomy and clear insights into species evolution, classification, and the (palaeo)ecology of both extant and extinct species. Considerable progress has been made, but important gaps remain, particularly for Neogene–Quaternary planktonic foraminifera.

This PhD explores evolutionary, ecological, and biostratigraphic aspects of the genus Neogloboquadrina in the high latitude North Atlantic and Arctic regions during the Neogene to Quaternary, with a particular focus on N. pachyderma. Although a dominant component of modern and fossil high latitude planktonic foraminifera assemblages, the evolutionary trajectory of N. pachyderma towards polar specialisation remains poorly understood. Through integrated taxonomic, morphological, and isotopic analyses, this PhD provides new insights into its long-term ecological strategies and palaeoceanographic significance. 

Paper 1 revises the taxonomy and biostratigraphy of planktonic foraminifera from DSDP Site 407, west of the Reykjanes Ridge. This core spans 25 million years and provides a near-continuous North Atlantic record of Neogloboquadrina evolution. Revisiting material first studied over 45 years ago, the work applies modern taxonomic concepts to all taxa, refines species-level identifications, and documents the rise of N. pachyderma as a key high-latitude taxon.

Paper 2 examines living N. pachyderma collected from the water column in the central Arctic. It investigates the reproductive strategy and records unusually abundant aberrant dextral forms, providing the first field-based evidence of a schizont reproductive stage, previously suggested only in laboratory cultures. These findings highlight the species’ reproductive plasticity and adaptive strategies under perennial sea ice, offering insight into how it maintains ecological dominance in polar environments.

Paper 3 presents stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses from three high-latitude North Atlantic sites. The data track the ecological and biogeographic evolution of N. pachyderma and related species from the late Miocene to Pleistocene, casting light on how N. pachyderma expanded poleward in response to global cooling. The study documents the species’ persistence through pronounced late Pliocene to Pleistocene climate shifts and its eventual rise to dominance in northern high-latitude environments.

Paper 4 integrates these results within the Neogene–Quaternary Planktonic Foraminifera Work Group, producing an updated taxonomy and a stratophenetic phylogenetic tree for all Neogloboquadrina species and their ancestor.

This thesis offers in improved understanding of Neogloboquadrina species in polar ecosystems, integrating taxonomic revisions, pelagic reproductive strategies, and stable isotope data to provide deeper insights into past climate and oceanographic conditions and ecosystem resilience. The findings improve our ability to use these organisms as palaeoceanographic tracers, with important implications for reconstructing past high-latitude climate dynamics.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, 2025. p. 65
Series
Meddelanden från Stockholms universitets institution för geologiska vetenskaper ; 394
Keywords
Neogloboquadrina pachyderma, planktonic foraminifera, high-latitude ecosystems, palaeoceanography, reproductive strategies, stable isotopes, biostratigraphy, climate change
National Category
Geology Palaeontology and Palaeoecology
Research subject
Marine Geology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-247215 (URN)978-91-8107-402-4 (ISBN)978-91-8107-403-1 (ISBN)
Public defence
2025-11-07, William-Olssonsalen, Geovetenskapens hus, Svante Arrheniusväg 8 C and online via Zoom: https://stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/65514136155, 13:00 (English)
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Supervisors
Available from: 2025-10-15 Created: 2025-09-22 Last updated: 2025-10-03Bibliographically approved

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Weitkamp, Tirza MariaRazmjooei, Mohammad JavadCoxall, Helen Katherine

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