Sensitivity of planktic foraminifera to sea surface temperature and export production as derived from sediment trap data

The influence of export production on planktic foraminiferal fluxes and relative abundances is not as pronounced. Highest relative abundances of the symbiont-bearing and thus light-dependent species G. ruber, G. sacculifer and G. siphonifera are restricted to oligotrophic and mesotrophic conditions, even though high fluxes can be observed at high export productions as well. In contrast, the asymbiotic species G. bulloides and N. pachyderma (dex.), depending more on food, reach high fluxes and relative abundances even at very high rates of export production, where they can easily outnumber the symbiotic species. Within the joint space of both SST and export production, N. pachyderma (sin.) yielded high fluxes and relative abundances coinciding mostly with medium to high export productivities.