Effect of different seawater Mg2+ concentrations on calcification in two benthic foraminifers

Magnesium, incorporated in foraminiferal calcite (Mg/Ca-CC), is used intensively to reconstruct past seawater temperatures but, in addition to temperature, the Mg/Ca-CC of foraminiferal tests also depends on the ratio of Mg and Ca in seawater (Mg/Ca-SW). The physiological mechanisms responsible for these proxy relationships are still unknown. This culture study investigates the impact of different seawater [Mg2+] on calcification in two benthic foraminiferal species precipitating contrasting Mg/Ca-CC: Ammonia aomoriensis, producing low-Mg calcite and Amphistegina lessonii, producing intermediate-Mg calcite. Foraminiferal growth and test thickness were determined and, Mg/Ca was analyzed using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Results show that at present-day seawater Mg/Ca-SW of similar to 5, both species have highest growth rates, reflecting their adaptation to modern seawater element concentrations. Test thickness is not significantly affected by different Mg/Ca-SW. The relationship between Mg/Ca-SW and Mg/Ca-CC shows a distinct positive y-axis intercept, possibly reflecting at least two processes involved in foraminiferal biomineralization. The associated Mg partition (D-Mg) changes non-linearly with increasing Mg/Ca-SW, hence suggesting that the D-Mg is best described by an exponential function approaching an asymptote. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.