What is the family of foraminifera?

The Order Foraminiferida (informally foraminifera) belongs to the Kingdom Protista, Subkingdom Protozoa, Phylum Sarcomastigophora, Subphylum Sarcodina, Superclass Rhizopoda, Class Granuloreticulosea.

How many species of forams are there?

4,000
Most of the estimated 4,000 living species of forams live in the world’s oceans. Of these, 40 species are planktonic, that is they float in the water. The remaining species live on the bottom of the ocean, on shells, rock and seaweeds or in the sand and mud of the bottom.

What is the common name for foraminifera?

Foraminifera (‘hole bearers’), foraminifers or forams for short, are a large phylum of amoeboid protozoans (single celled) with reticulating pseudopods, fine strands of cytoplasm that branch and merge to form a dynamic net.

What are foraminifera geology?

Foraminifera (forams for short) are single-celled organisms (protists) with shells or tests (a technical term for internal shells). They are abundant as fossils for the last 540 million years.

What kingdom are radiolarians in?

RhizariaRadiolaria / Kingdom

What is a Radiolarian made of?

The Radiolaria, also called Radiozoa, are protozoa of diameter 0.1–0.2 mm that produce intricate mineral skeletons, typically with a central capsule dividing the cell into the inner and outer portions of endoplasm and ectoplasm. The elaborate mineral skeleton is usually made of silica.

What are forams related to?

Foraminifera, or forams for short, are single-celled organisms that live in the open ocean, along the coasts and in estuaries. Most have shells for protection and either float in the water column (planktonic) or live on the sea floor (benthic).

Are forams diatoms?

Foraminifera are restricted to marine and coastal environments (oceans, lagoons, marshes, and estuaries), whereas diatoms virtually inhabit every continental, coastal, and marine waters, and often represent a major component of the primary producer communities [13].

What are foraminifera made of?

Forams are unusual among single-celled organisms because they build shells made of calcium carbonate (calcareous) or from tiny grains of sand stuck together (agglutinate).

What are diatoms and radiolarians?

One of the main differences between diatoms and radiolarians is that diatoms are photosynthetic and consequently are restricted to the photic zone (water depths less than 100 m depending on clarity or the water). Both benthic and planktonic forms exist.