III-E-20 



Ellison, R.L. 1972. Ammobaculi'tes , foramini feral proprietor of 



Chesapeake Bay estuaries. Pages 247-262 jn^ B.W. Nelson, ed.. Environmental 

 framework of coastal plain estuaries. The Geological Society of 

 America, Columbia, South Carolina. 



In the central parts of Virginia, estuaries that are tributaries of 

 Chesapeake Bay, a foramini feral facies characterized by Ammobaculites 

 is replaced seaward by an Elphidium facies, upstream by a Difflugia 

 facies, and laterally in the marshes by a Miliammina and Ammoastuta 

 facies. Within the area where Ammobaculites are most abundant, 

 foraminiferal tests commonly number between one and ten thousand 

 per 20 cubic centimeters, and Ammobaculites comprise nearly 100 per- 

 cent of the total. Locally, empty tests and living specimens aggregate 

 in clumps measuring from 15 to 150 meters in diameter. The genus 

 is distributed vertically from 100 centimeters above the estuary 

 floor, where it lives in eelgrass, to at least 9 centimeters below 

 the bottom, where it subsists in organic-rich muds. Concentrations 

 of empty tests in estuarine samples from Virginia and Maryland suggest 

 that Ammobaculites must have a moderately high annual turnover while 

 thriving on the "vegetable soup" of estuaries. 



Ammobaculites crassus Warren dominates foraminiferal communities 

 in the Chesapeake Bay area wherever salinities are between one and 

 15 percent. The Ammobaculites and contiguous facies shift along 

 the estuary in response to seasonal salinity changes, and faunal 

 patterns across the estuary conform to the asymmetrical distribution 

 of salinity induced by Coriolis effects. High temperatures, up to 

 14°C above the normal in thermally polluted waters, have only limited 

 effect on Ammobaculites . Comparison with other estuaries suggests 

 that the dominance of Ammobaculites depends on salinity, geographic 

 location or physiographic setting, and the presence of organic 

 detritus. (A. A.) 



Keywords: estuaries, foraminiferal facies, Chesapeake Bay 



III-E-21 



Stephens, G.C. 1967. Dissolved organic material as a nutritional source 

 for marine and estuarine invertebrates. Pages 367-373 jn^ G.H. Lauff , 

 ed.. Estuaries. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 Washington, D.C. 



Much organic material other than that represented by the biomass of 

 the various trophic levels of the community is present in the environ- 

 ment. In an inshore marine community, this material includes particu- 

 late detritus, material of colloidal dimensions, and organic material 

 in solution in sea water. This paper summarizes some recent evidence 

 concerning a possible nutritive role of organic material in true solu- 



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