Gulf of America non-spinose planktic foraminifera culture study from 2020-2022: foraminifera measurements

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Gulf of America non-spinose planktic foraminifera culture study from 2020-2022: foraminifera measurements
Abstract:
The methodologies and resources which were used to cultivate Globorotalia truncatulinoides and other non-spinose planktic foraminiferal species, such as Globorotalia menardii, are described in this release and in more detail in Reynolds and others (2025). Several specimens (n=69) were collected via plankton tows from the upper 200 meters (m) of the water column from the northern Gulf of America in February 2020, December 2021, and November 2022. Size measurements and growth, notes and observations, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) data were recorded on a few selected foraminifera individuals. The foraminifera specimen survived between 8 and 76 days in a laboratory study (initially cut short by the abrupt closure of laboratory facilities due to the spread of the Coronavirus in 2019 (COVID-19 pandemic).
Supplemental_Information:
Following SPCMSC data management protocols, the field collection activities were assigned USGS field activity numbers (FANs), 2020-302-FA, 2021-334-FA, and 2022-335-FA. Additional field and data details are available for each activity by replacing the FAN (example: 2020-302-FA) in the following url: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/services/activity.php?fan=2020-302-FA.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Reynolds, Caitlin E., 20250423, Gulf of America non-spinose planktic foraminifera culture study from 2020-2022: foraminifera measurements:.

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Reynolds, Caitlin E., Fehrenbacher, Jennifer S., Thirumalai, Kaustubh, Tappa, Eric J., and Richey, Julie N., 20250423, Gulf of America Non-Spinose Planktic Foraminifera Culture Study From 2020-2022: U.S. Geological Survey data release doi:10.5066/P147MDIE, U.S. Geological Survey – St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, Florida.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -90.340433
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -89.099333
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 28.231933
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 27.533833
    Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Gulf of America
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 08-Feb-2020
    Ending_Date: 16-Dec-2022
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    This metadata has an associated data dictionary (Data_Dictionary_foraminifera_measurements.docx), which describes the attributes (data columns) for all foraminifera measurement (G. menardii 2021 and 2022 and G. truncatulinoides 2020 chamber and whole shell) files. The metadata for the foraminifera data are not complete if they are not distributed with this document.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
    The entity and attribute information were generated by the individual and/or agency identified as the originator of the dataset. Please review the rest of the metadata record for additional details and information.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Caitlin E. Reynolds
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Caitlin E. Reynolds
    US Geological Survey
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    Saint Petersburg, Florida
    USA

    727-502-8046 (voice)
    creynolds@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

The growth and observation of foraminifera in laboratory culture has been an incredibly valuable tool in studying the biomineralization and partitioning of chemical constituents during foraminiferal calcification. These studies allow for the isolation of physical and chemical conditions that control the elemental and stable isotopic composition of foraminifera and are crucial to calibration and interpretation of paleoenvironmental proxies in foraminifera. Relatively few laboratory culture studies have been carried out in non-spinose species of planktic foraminifera.
This study was intended to be a pilot study to test whether G. truncatulinoides specimens could be successfully harvested from plankton tow samples and kept alive in a laboratory at the U.S Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS SPCMSC). In addition to keeping the specimen alive in a lab, further testing included attempting to induce encrustation or gametogenesis under laboratory conditions.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 08-Feb-2020 (process 1 of 4)
    Thirty-nine live individuals of Globorotalia truncatulinoides specimens were collected from a vertical plankton tow in the surface mixed layer (0–80 meters) of the northern Gulf of America on February 8, 2020. The plankton tow was taken at the site of our long-term sediment trap time series (27.533833 degrees North [°N], 90.340433 degrees West [°W]) during peak annual flux of G. truncatulinoides. The upper 80 m of the water column were fully mixed with an average temperature of 21.1 degrees Celsius (ºC) and salinity of 36.3. The G. truncatulinoides specimens were immediately collected and identified under a dissecting microscope, picked out using small brushes, and rinsed with filtered seawater (0.45-micrometer [µm] nitrocellulose membrane filters). The foraminifera were individually added to 70 milliliter (ml) polystyrene Falcon® culture flasks containing ambient filtered seawater. The flasks were stored in the dark at ambient temperature (20 ºC). Upon returning to the laboratory at the USGS SPCMSC in St. Petersburg, Florida, the samples were stored in a VWR International Incubator (Model 1575R) set to 20ºC.
    Date: 06-Dec-2021 (process 2 of 4)
    Seventeen Globorotalia menardii, one Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, one Globorotalia crassaformis, and one Pulleniatina obliquiloculata live specimens were collected December 6, 2021, from a vertical plankton tow in the upper 200 m of the water column at 28.231933°N, 89.099333°W. Averages for temperature and salinity throughout the tow collection were 22.5°C and 36.5 respectively. Ten additional G. menardii live specimen were collected the following year on November 30, 2022 (28.213617°N, 89.131600°W) in the same manner. The upper 200 m had an average temperature of 20.4°C and salinity of 36.4. Species were selected based on their availability in the tow material. Individual foraminifera from both collections were identified under a dissecting microscope (d'Orbigny, 1839; Parker and others, 1865) rinsed with filtered seawater (0.45-µm nitrocellulose membrane filters), and stored in Strontium-87 (87Sr)-labeled seawater (strontium carbonate [SrCO3], Series LH, Batch 136990, 91.26%) inside 70 ml polystyrene Falcon® culture flasks. The 87Sr label has an 87Sr/88Sr ratio four times greater than the natural isotopic abundance ratios and was chosen to geochemically observe growth in culture (Fehrenbacher and others, 2018). The flasks were stored in the dark at ambient temperature (20 ºC). Once back in the laboratory, the samples were stored in a VWR International Incubator (Model 1575R) set to 20 ºC.
    Date: 2022 (process 3 of 4)
    Whole shell length measurements of the longest axis of the individual specimens were recorded to monitor growth and/or chamber addition. For thirteen G. truncatulinoides specimens, individual chamber lengths were also measured within each whole shell measurement. Final measurements of length were made post-mortem for all species. A Zeiss SteREO Discovery.V12 microscope-mounted camera with ZEN 2 Core v.2.4 software was utilized for length measurements and photography (images available upon request).
    Date: 2024 (process 4 of 4)
    Measurements taken in the lab for the G. menardii (whole shell; 2021 and 2022) and G. truncatulinoides (whole shell and chamber; 2020) studies were digitally compiled into Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) and comma-separated values (.csv) files and are included in this release (Foraminifera_Measurements.zip). Data sources produced in this process:
    • G. menardii_2021_whole_shell_measurements
    • G. menardii_2022_whole_shell_measurements
    • G. truncatulinoides_2020_chamber_measurements
    • G. truncatulinoides_2020_whole_shell_measurements
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Reynolds, Caitlin E., Fehrenbacher, Jennifer S., Thirumalai, Kaustubh, Tappa, Eric J., and Richey, Julie N., 20250422, Insights from growing Globorotalia truncatulinoides and Globorotalia menardii in the laboratory: Journal of Foraminiferal Research Volume 55, Issue 2, GeoScienceWorld, McLean, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Pages 131-143
    Fehrenbacher, Jennifer S., Russell, Ann D., Davis, Catherine V., Spero, Howard J., Chu, Edward, and Hönisch, Bärbel, 20180901, Ba/Ca ratios in the non-spinose planktic foraminifer Neogloboquadrina dutertrei: Evidence for an organic aggregate microhabitat: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Volume 236, Elsevier BV, Online.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Pages 361-372
    d'Orbigny, Alcide, 1839, Foraminifères des îles Canaries: Histoire naturelle des Iles Canaries Volume 2(2).

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Pages 120-146
    Parker, W.K., Jones, T.R., and Brady, H.B., 1865, On the nomenclature of the Foraminifera, Part XII. The species enumerated by d’Orbigny in the “Annales des Sciences Naturelles”: Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. Volume 7, Taylor and Francis, Ltd, London, England.

    Other_Citation_Details: Pages 15-41

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Measurements of the foraminifera specimen were calibrated with a 100 micron slide on Zeiss SteREO Discovery.V12 microscope-mounted camera with ZEN 2 Core v.2.4 software and used to ensure quality and accuracy of the data.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    All values fall within expected ranges for each species based on QA/QC. The foraminifera measurements were calibrated before being taken.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints No access constraints. Please see 'Distribution Information' for details.
Use_Constraints These data are marked with a Creative Common CC0 1.0 Universal License. These data are in the public domain and do not have any use constraints. Users are advised to read the dataset's metadata thoroughly to understand appropriate use and data limitations.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: USGS SPCMSC Data Management
    600 4th Street South
    Saint Petersburg, FL
    United States

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? G. menardii_2021_whole_shell_measurements.csv, G. menardii_2021_whole_shell_measurements.xlsx, G. menardii_2022_whole_shell_measurements.csv, G. menardii_2022_whole_shell_measurements.xlsx, G. truncatulinoides_2020_chamber_measurements.csv, G. truncatulinoides_2020_chamber_measurements.xlsx, G. truncatulinoides_2020_whole_shell_measurements.csv, G. truncatulinoides_2020_whole_shell_measurements.xlsx
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 22-Apr-2025
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: USGS SPCMSC Data Management
600 4th Street South
Saint Petersburg, FL
United States

727-502-8000 (voice)
gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001.1-1999)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/spcmsc/foraminifera_measurements_metadata.faq.html>
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