Interrelationship between environmental parameters and foraminiferal species in Mandovi and Zuari estuaries

Abstract

Results of the 'least-squares' procedure analysis indicate that the organic carbon is probably one of the most important variables for predicting the occurrence of Foraminiferal species, when the other variables (water depth, sand, silt, clay mean particle size and sorting coefficient) are considered in combination of two or three at a time. The implication is that the organic carbon, as a mass property of the sediments reflects the interrelationship of such factors as mean grain size, sorting, grain packing and mineralogy. Further, it is a useful environmental variable for studying the abiotic relationship in the sediments