Planktonic foraminifera in waters off the Coromandel coast, Bay of Bengal

Abstract

Living planktonic foraminifers have been studied in relation to their ecology and distribution with plankton samples collected in January from the east coast of India. During this period, upwelling occurs in the northwestern Bay of Bengal and as a result, besides higher populations of Foraminifera in the northeastern part of the coast, upwelling indicator species such as <i>Globigerina butloides</i> and <i>Neogloboquodrina dutertrei</i> are also discernible in the fauna. Species diversity, equitability, and coexistence of various foraminiferal species of the samples are compared. Further, the degree of fauna] affinity for different sites is discussed.