MORTALITY, PROTOPLASM DECAY RATE, AND RELIABILITY OF STAINING TECHNIQUES TO RECOGNIZE 'LIVING' FORAMINIFERA: A REVIEW

Research Article| January 01, 2000 MORTALITY, PROTOPLASM DECAY RATE, AND RELIABILITY OF STAINING TECHNIQUES TO RECOGNIZE 'LIVING' FORAMINIFERA: A REVIEW John W. Murray; John W. Murray 1School of Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, England; email: jwm1@mail.soc.soton.ac.uk Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Samuel S. Bowser Samuel S. Bowser 2Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 509, Albany, N.Y. 12201, USA; and Department of Biomedical Sciences, The University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222; email: bowser@wadsworth.org Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information John W. Murray 1School of Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, England; email: jwm1@mail.soc.soton.ac.uk Samuel S. Bowser 2Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 509, Albany, N.Y. 12201, USA; and Department of Biomedical Sciences, The University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222; email: bowser@wadsworth.org Publisher: Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research Received: 14 Apr 1999 Accepted: 23 Aug 1999 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-264X Print ISSN: 0096-1191 © 2000 Journal of Foraminiferal Research Journal of Foraminiferal Research (2000) 30 (1): 66–70. https://doi.org/10.2113/0300066 Article history Received: 14 Apr 1999 Accepted: 23 Aug 1999 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation John W. Murray, Samuel S. Bowser; MORTALITY, PROTOPLASM DECAY RATE, AND RELIABILITY OF STAINING TECHNIQUES TO RECOGNIZE 'LIVING' FORAMINIFERA: A REVIEW. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 2000;; 30 (1): 66–70. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/0300066 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyJournal of Foraminiferal Research Search Advanced Search Abstract Non-vital staining, especially with rose Bengal, has been widely used in ecological studies to differentiate between the tests of dead (unstained) foraminifera from those presumed to be living at the time of collection (stained). Doubts have been expressed about staining methods because of the possibility that dead individuals may retain undecayed protoplasm for weeks or months after death; when stained, such individuals would be recorded as living. To assess the importance of such false positives, it is necessary to examine rates of mortality, and the modes of generation of empty tests, i.e., whether due to reproduction, growth stages (leaving empty tests during growth) or death. It can be argued that reproduction, ontogeny, and death through predation lead to tests devoid of protoplasm. Whereas reproduction may affect only a small proportion of the population of each species (due to high pre-reproductive mortality), predation in oxygenated environments may be responsible for the major part of that pre-reproductive mortality. In oxygenated environments, disease or adverse environmental conditions are most likely to lead to dead individuals having tests containing protoplasm. In dysaerobic/anoxic environments, predation by macrofauna may be excluded, so foraminifera die through other causes and thus more tests with dead protoplasm may be potentially available for staining. Therefore, for most other environments, the problem of staining dead individuals is almost certainly overstated. Furthermore, from comparative studies, it seems that the most commonly used technique (staining with rose Bengal) is as reliable as others. Now that new vital staining techniques, especially the use of fluorescent probes, are being introduced, it is timely for further objective comparative studies of all techniques to be made in order to evaluate data already gathered and to develop the best strategies for future ecological studies according to whether they are field-based or experimental. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.