ABSTRACT
Thirty-one foraminiferal species belonging to 14 benthic and
three planktic genera were retrieved from the sediments of the Lagos lagoon.
The distribution of the benthic dominant genera (Ammonia, Cribroelphidium, Elphidium, and Hanzawaia) was observed to have a unique pattern. The pattern has been linked to heavy metal concentrations documented by an earlier worker. This is the first recorded evidence that foraminifera occurrence in the lagoon is partly influenced by pollution.
This work revealed that some stress-tolerant foraminiferal species thrive in environments with high concentration of heavy metals at the expense of the less tolerant sensitive species.
The population of the pollution-indicating species (especially Ammonia beccarii variety tepida) reduced away from regions of high pollution while the diversity of the “sensitive” species increased.
Living forms stained by Rose Bengal were observed in Ammonia beccarii variety tepida, Ammonia beccarii variety parkinsoniana, Ammonia inflata, Cribroelphidium decipiens, and Textularia sagittula indicating that they are indigenous to the lagoon.
Test deformities in the obtained fauna were not prominent and their occurrence could not be correlated with pollution in the lagoon.