Approaches to study living foraminifera collection, maintenance and experimentation / Подходы к изучению живых фораминифер, сбору, содержанию и экспериментированию

Foraminifera are eukaryotic micro-organisms that are mainly distributed in oceanic environments. This protistan taxon plays a major role in nutrient cycling of the oceanic hydrosphere and in biogeochemical cycling. Because these microbes sometimes compose more than 50 % of the biomass in the deep oceans as well as in some highlatitude settings, they are a key taxon in marine ecosystems. Foraminifera inhabit both the benthic and the pelagic realms. The skeletal component of foraminifera are referred to as tests (i.e., shells), which can be composed of calcium carbonate, agglutinated particles, or organic (non-mineralized) material secreted by the foraminifer.  Because each foraminifer makes at least one test during its life cycle, foraminiferal tests are commonly found in marine sediments. The majority of these tests can become preserved in marine sedimentary deposits. These shells are major components of marine strata. Fossil foraminifera, thus, have long been used, since the dawn of geological investigations. Foraminiferal index fossils are useful for both assigning geologic ages and reconstructing paleoenvironments of strata. In this context, an enormous amount of data has been accumulated in terms of modern foraminiferal distribution in the oceans and stratigraphic records of foraminifera during the Phanerozoic. 
 Data suggest that foraminifera may show rapid rates of morphological evolution through geologic time. From studies of modern environments, it also can be asserted that foraminifera are quite sensitive to environmental changes. Thus, interpretations of the fossil record can lend insights into paleobiology. However, we often lack the knowledge of living foraminiferal species to clearly understand the paleobiology of extinct species.  <...>