Biology and Palaeobiology of Foraminifera and Coccolithophores The Micropalaeontological Society's Foraminifera and Nannofossil Groups held a very succesful Joint Spring Meeting on Thursday 25th - Friday 26th May, 2006 at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom. Programme Abstracts pdf (268kb) Thursday 25th     09:00 - 09:30   Opening Remarks           Convenor - Jeremy Young 09:30 - 09:50 Schoenfeld, J. Long-term changes of benthic foraminiferal assemblages in the western Baltic Sea associated with Anthropocene environmental changes. 09:50 - 10:10 Steinke, S. Globigerinoides ruber (white) morphotype-specific stable isotope records for reconstructing upper surface water column structure in the southern South China Sea over the past 22 kyr 10:10 - 10:30 Austin, B. An improved 14C chronology for Marine Isotope Stage 3 based on planktonic foraminifera       11:00-11:20 Kinkel, H. The complex history of Gephyrocapsa – Pliocene to modern evolution 11:20-11:50 Sexton, P. Palaeoecology of late middle Eocene planktic foraminifera and evolutionary implications 11:50-12:10 Bown, P. Paleogene calcareous nannofossils from the Kilwa and Lindi areas of coastal Tanzania (Tanzania Drilling Project) 12:10-12:30 Schmidt, D. The evolutionary history of calcification in planktic foraminifers and its influence on the global carbon cycle           Convenor - Joachim Schoenfeld 14:00-14:20 Coxall, H. Pelagic evolution and environmental recovery after the Cretaceous-Palaeogene mass extinction 14:20-14:40 Thibault, N. Palaeoecological features of calcareous nannofossils in the Atlantic ocean during the Maastrichtian (results from ODP site 1258A and DSDP site 525A) 14:40-15:00 Friedrich, O. Cenomanian/early Turonian benthic foraminiferal faunas of the Demerara Rise depth transect (ODP Leg 207)       15:00-18:00   Poster session             Friday 26th   Convenor - Daniela Schmidt 09:00-9:20 Austin, H. A seasonal study of benthic foraminifera and diatoms from the Eden Estuary, NE Scotland 09:20-9:40 Barras, C. Spatial variability of living (stained) benthic foraminiferal faunas at 550 m depth in the Bay of Biscay 09:40:10:00 Storz, D. Modes of planktonic foraminiferal flux in the vicinity of the Azores Front: three sediment trap records from 33N/22W for the years of 2002-2004 10:00-10:20 Schiebel, R. Microplankton and nannoplankton succession during spring bloom in the North Atlantic       11:00-11:20 Cage, A. The distribution of modern benthic foraminifera in Loch Sunart surface sediments 11:20-11:50 Kucera, M. The significance of coiling direction in planktonic foraminifera 11:50-12:10 Young, J. Asymmetry and the protective function of coccoliths 12:10-12:30 Schweizer, M. Molecular phylogeny of the Rotaliida (calcareous foraminifera) based on the complete SSU (small subunit) of rDNA (ribosomal DNA)           Convenor - Jens Herrle 14:00-14:20 Kozdon, R. Reassessing cold-end Mg/Ca temperature calibrations of N. pachyderma (sin.) using paired d44/40Ca and Mg/Ca measurements 14:20-14:40 Henderson, A. S. The “Challenger Foraminifera” online 14:40-15:00 Bubenshchikova, N. Living benthic foraminifera of the Okhotsk Sea: faunal composition, standing stock and microhabitats 15:00-15:20 Michalevich, V. Observations on Massilina secans (d'Orbigny), 1826 in culture Abstracts pdf (268kb) Posters   Al-Sabouni, Nadia Reproducibility of species recognition in modern planktonic foraminifera Al-Wosabi, K. A. Palaeoclimatic changes across the Paleocene/ Eocene boundary Bailey, I. Pliocene Intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation Barras, Christine Reproduction and growth of deep-sea benthic foraminifera: laboratory study Casellato, Cristina Emanuela Absolute abundances across the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary: preliminary data from Mte Pernice section, Southern Alps (Italy) Herrle, Jens Morphological variation of Emiliania huxleyi: A new tool for reconstructing sea water salinities? Kender Sev Micropalaeontological characterisation of Cenozoic deep-sea fan deposits, Congo Fan, offshore Angola Koch, Craig Sea surface temperature during Heinrich Events in the NE Atlantic, evidence from coccolithophore-based proxies Koho, Karoliina Does the quality of organic carbon matter to benthic foraminifera? Lezius, Jenny Impact of Panama uplift on nannofossil evolution Mendes, Isabel Mid-Holocene change of benthic foraminiferal assemblages off Guadiana River (Northern Gulf of Cadiz) Numberger, Lea The relationship between the 2004 spring bloom in the Baltic Sea and the feeding, growth and biogeochemistry of Elphidium excavatum clavatum Rogersons, Mike Sediment transportation on the Gulf of Cadiz contourite; insights from benthic foraminiferal assemblage data Steinloechner Pleistocene pelagic carbonate budget on Walvis Ridge (ODP LEG 208): Distribution and preservation of Coccoliths and planktonic Foraminifers. Stolz, Katharina Coccolithopore assemblages as indicators for short-term climatic changes during the Late Pleistocene in the North Atlantic Tripati, Aradhna Evidence for Eocene bipolar glaciation associated with global carbon cycle changes Boeckel, Babette Lateral and vertical coccolithophore distribution along productivity gradients: examples from the South Atlantic Ocean Renaud, S. A millions years of shape variation of G. truncatulinoides: interplay of evolution and response to environment Abstracts pdf (268kb) The meeting was followed by an excursion to the Lake District on Saturday, 27th and Sunday 28th May, 2006. The field trip was lead by Dr. Richard Worden, University of Liverpool, and focused on past sedimentary environments, from deep-sea plains to mountain belts and deserts. The Lake District National Park lies in Cumbria and shows a 300 million years stratigraphic record with key sections of sedimentary geology and tectonics exposed in numerous abandoned mines and quarries. A report and pictures from the meeting and field trip will be posted shortly.