Effect of Hydrographic Conditions on the Ecology of Benthic Foraminifera in Two Different Hypersaline Lagoons, Eastern Red Sea Coast, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abundance and distribution of benthic foraminifera have been investigated in the bottom sediments of Shuaiba and Sharm al-Kharrar lagoons, located south and north of Jeddah, respectively. The environmental factors that control the ecology of the benthonic foraminifera in these lagoons are also discussed. The identified benthic faunal assemblages in these two hypersaline lagoons show significant variations. It was found that the suborder Rotaliids (e.g. Amphistegina sp. and Elphidium sp.) occur more predominantly than suborder Miliolids in the bottom sediments of sharm Al-kharrar lagoon; results also indicated that the suborder Miliolids dominate the Rotaliids in Shuaiba lagoon. The distribution pattern of benthic foraminifera in the two studied lagoons was mainly controlled by environmental factors such as water depth, intensity of light, texture of the sediments and dilution by fresh water.