Quaternary Foraminifera of the Caspian-Black Sea-Mediterranean Corridors, Volume 1 Ponto-Caspian Foraminifera

About this book

This handbook, to be published in two volumes, offers a heretofore unavailable compilation of detailed information on foraminifera of the Caspian-Black Sea-Mediterranean Corridors (“CORRIDORS”), including their taxonomy, ecology, and applications in the study of Quaternary stratigraphy, palaeogeographic reconstruction, and environmental stress. This subject is significant in light of the ongoing debates regarding the Flood Hypotheses because foraminifera can provide more information about many of the disputed questions. Foraminifera are highly reliable palaeoenvironmental indicators, ubiquitous in marine environments, and taxonomically diverse, which gives them the potential for a wide range of biological responses to varied environmental factors. Their tests are readily preserved and can record evidence of environmental change through time, thus providing historical baseline data even in the absence of background studies. This book presents taxonomic descriptions for about 500 species and subspecies from the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, Sea of Marmara, and the Eastern Mediterranean. This catalogue is supplemented by ecological remarks, stratigraphic distributions, palaeogeography, and environmental/palaeoenvironmental applications, including responses to environmental stress, e.g., river discharge, pollution by different contaminants, etc. The book will be useful to specialists in Quaternary history of the “CORRIDORS” as well as those in environmental monitoring and risk assessment.

This handbook offers detailed taxonomic descriptions of foraminifera from the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, Aral Sea (in Volume 1) and Eastern Mediterranean and Sea of Marmara (in the not-yet-published Volume 2).

Contents

Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. State-of-the-art
Chapter 2. Study area, material and methods
Chapter 3. Taxonomic classification of foraminifera
Chapter 4. Modern foraminifera
Chapter 5. Quaternary bio- and ecostratigraphy, with elements of paleogeography of the Ponto-Caspian Corridors
Chapter 6. Origin and taxonomy of the Pleistocene Ponto-Caspian benthic foraminifera
Chapter 7. Benthic foraminifera as indicators of environmental change in the Black Sea in space and time
Chapter 8. Systematic part

Conclusions
Index

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