Responses of benthic foraminifera to the 2011 oil spill in the Bohai Sea, PR China

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 96; no. 1-2; pp. 245 - 260
• Main Authors: Lei, Yan Li, Li, Tie Gang, Bi, Hongsheng, Cui, Wen Lin, Song, Wen Peng, Li, Ji Ye, Li, Cheng Chun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.07.2015
• Subjects: Benthic foraminifera; Biological response; China; Ecological monitoring; Environment; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollution - analysis; Foraminifera - physiology; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Indicator species; Petroleum Pollution; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - toxicity; The Yellow Sea; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; China, People's Rep; INW, Bohai Sea; Ecological monitoring; Benthic foraminifera; Biological response; Indicator species; The Yellow Sea
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.05.020

•We investigated the impact of oil spill on benthic foraminifera in the Bohai Sea.•Large (>150μm) foraminifera were more sensitive to the oils than small (63–150μm) individuals.•Abnormal individual abundance was higher as the concentration of oils increased.•We built an index to classify the extent of oil impact on local benthic foraminifera. The 2011 oil spill in the Bohai Sea was the largest spill event in China. Nine sediment cores were taken near the spill site and environmental factors including Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAHs), oils, sulfides, organic carbon were measured 6months later. Benthic foraminifera were separated into >150μm (large) and 63–150μm (small) size fractions for 2-cm depth interval of each sediment core. Statistical analyses suggested that the species composition of living foraminifera was impacted by oils, PAHs and sulfides. Large foraminifera were more sensitive to the oils than the small. Abnormal specimens were positively correlated with oils or PAHs. Small forms, however, tended to have high reproduction and mortality. Pollution-resistant and opportunistic taxa were identified to calculate a Foraminiferal Index of Environmental Impacts (FIEI). The FIEI increased from low to high oil-polluted station and from deep layer to surface sediment reflects the impact of oil pollution in this area.