TAPHOFACIES IMPLICATIONS OF INFAUNAL FORAMINIFERAL ASSEMBLAGES IN A GEORGIA SALT-MARSH, SAPELO-ISLAND

The occurrence of living infaunal foraminifera and selective preservat ion significantly alter the composition of assemblages that accumulate in subsurface marsh sediments of Sapelo Island, Georgia. Rose bengal staining and observations on live foraminifers from surface and subsur face marsh sediments identified live infaunal populations of Arenoparr ella mexicana (Kornfeld 1931) and Haplophragmoides wilberti Andersen 1 953 to a depth of 30cm below the marsh surface. Other foraminifera are predominantly surface-dwellers, although some (e.g., Ammonia beccarii (Linne 1758), Miliammina fusca (Brady 1870) and Trochammina inflata ( Montagu 1808)) also have shallow infaunal occurrences.