Living (Rose Bengal stained) benthic foraminifera were examined in multicore samples collected at depths ranging from 580 to 1,270 m from the Tasman Sea and southern margin of Australia. This study presents an initial overview of the deep-sea foraminifera living on these margins. Based on widely separated cores, there appears to be no correlation between foraminiferal abundance and species with ocean depth, seafloor grain size, oxygen availability, temperature, or particulate organic carbon. Although more work is needed, this study suggests environmental factors affect foraminiferal populations in a complex manner in the study area. The presence of species typical of shelf and shallow water environments in cores collected below 200 m water depth suggests a possible redistribution from shallower areas. In the ten samples from the 0–1 cm interval for the >150 ?m size fraction, 37 unique species were found. No more than four species overlapped across sites. Surprisingly, no significant correlations were observed between cosmopolitan foraminifera (i.e., Cibicidoides bradyi, Cibicidoides mundulus, Globobulimina subglobosa, Hoeglundina elegans, Uvigerina asperula, and Melonis affinis) and environmental parameters. Considerable environmental heterogeneity between sample sites, such as oxygen availability, grain size, and other factors associated with ocean circulation, is clearly evident. Based on observed assemblages, foraminiferal populations in the region appear influenced by dynamic and heterogeneous seafloor environments. This study serves as one of the few investigations of its kind to examine the ecology and diversity of contemporary deep-sea benthic foraminiferal communities along the southern and southeastern Australian margin, and highlights the potential ecological impacts of the heterogeneity and complexity of seafloor environments in the region. Additional work is necessary to further test and evaluate these hypotheses, and this research provides a foundation for future observations of living benthic foraminifera in the region.
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