Salt marshes and marsh foraminiferal assemblages of northeastern North America differ appreciably from those of the Gulf of Mexico, yet the crucial faunal transitions between them-- especially marsh assemblages characteristic of the southeastern U.S. coast--remain essentially unstudied. Similarly, short- and long-term aspects of loss, preservation, or redistribution of foraminiferal tests in these sediments remains largely unknown. The work proposed herein is designed to address both problems: the ecologic and taphonomic significance of southeastern salt marsh foraminifera. Modern and relict (-200 to 1500+ year old) salt marsh sediments of St. Catherines Island, Georgia, provide and ideal setting for studies on the taphonomy and paleoecology of salt marsh foraminifera. Modern marshes are extensive and provide examples of modern environments for comparisons with the "paleoenvironments" of the older relict deposits. Relict salt marsh sediments, extensively exposed along the eastern margin of the island, contain key, well-preserved, in situ features that permit the identification of those specific salt marsh habitats and subenvironments that have been described in modern marshes. Foraminifera and other microfossils are abundant in these deposits. A distributional study on foraminifera of these relict deposits therefore can be achieved utilizing essentially the same methods applicable to studies on modern marshes. The purpose of this study is to document and compare distributional patterns of foraminifera in modern and relict marsh sediments of St. Catherines. Results will address problems of biogeography, ecology, paleoecology, paleoenvironmental interpretations, and particularly the assessment of taphonomy and taphofacies.
