COLONIZATION RATE OF FORAMINIFERA IN THE INDIAN RIVER, FLORIDA

A cage containing azoic sand was placed on the seabed (1 m water depth ) at Link Port, Florida on 17 March 1988. Beginning one week after emp lacement, four replicate cores were taken inside the cage and outside every week for six weeks. From each of the eight cores 5 ml of sedimen t was removed from each cm to a depth of three cm. The number of livin g (stained) individuals for Quinqueloculina, Ammonia, Elphidium and Am mobaculites were enumerated. These data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA testing for differences between time, cms and their interaction. Insi de, all taxa had significantly lower densities at the first two sampli ng times and had significantly lower densities in the second and third cms. Outside, only Elphidium had a significant difference with time, the fifth sampling time had lower densities. Quinqueloculina had signi ficantly higher densities in the first cm and Ammobaculites in the fir st two cms. These results indicate that colonization is rapid and occu rs in the same rank order as the ambient fauna. Densities stabilize in side within about three weeks after emplacement. The top cm is coloniz ed initially followed by the second and third cms. No density peak was observed after the initial colonization, nor was there any succession of species.