Benthic foraminifers living in euphotic coastal and shelf environments commonly occur in association with macrophytes (macroalgae and seagrasses), and many lineages have evolved morphologic adaptations to thrive in such habitats. Species that did not occur in the Mediterranean Sea prior to recent centuries, commonly known as “introduced” or “alien” species, are now widespread, and some are so abundant that they are altering coastal habitats. With accelerating climatic change and warming of Mediterranean surface waters, recognizing how invasive algal and foraminiferal species are affecting sedimentation and microenvironments has become increasingly urgent. This project examined 18 sets of sediment samples collected in the Abu Qir coastal area east of Alexandria for comparison with a previous assessment of live assemblages within the macroalgae. Overall, 68 foraminiferal species were identified, of which sixteen species were categorized as epiphytic. The hyaline epiphytic Elphidium crispum was the most common species found in sediments from the platform, while the porcelaneous free-living Quinqueloculina auberiana dominated sediments from the small bay. Eleven introduced foraminiferal species were recorded, one of which, Amphistegina lobifera, was commonly found, especially in the platform sediment samples. Taxa recorded live (stained) in platform sediments were predominantly (>10% each) Peneroplis, Amphistegina and Elphidium, while bay sediments were dominated by Quinqueloculina, followed in order by Elphidium, Amphistegina and Peneroplis. The assemblage differences from previously reported live assemblages associated with macralgae, compared with live and dead assemblages in sediments, appear to reflect hydrodynamic influence of sediment sorting and resistence of larger taxa to physical degradation.

生活在光照充足的沿海和陆架环境中的底栖有孔虫通常与大型植物（大型藻类和海草）一起出现，并且许多谱系已经进化出形态适应性以在此类栖息地中繁衍生息。近几个世纪前未出现在地中海的物种，通常被称为“引进”或“外来”物种，现在广泛存在，其中一些数量如此之多，以至于它们正在改变沿海栖息地。随着气候变化加速和地中海地表水变暖，认识到入侵藻类和有孔虫物种如何影响沉积和微环境变得越来越紧迫。该项目检查了在亚历山大港以东的 Abu Qir 沿海地区收集的 18 组沉积物样本，以与之前对大型藻类中的活体组合的评估进行比较。总体而言，确定了 68 种有孔虫物种，其中 16 种被归类为附生物种。透明附生Elphidium crispum是平台沉积物中最常见的物种，而瓷质自由生活的Quinqueloculina auberiana在小海湾的沉积物中占主导地位。记录了 11 种引进的有孔虫物种，其中一种Amphistegina lobifera很常见，尤其是在台地沉积物样品中。在平台沉积物中记录的活体（染色）分类群主要是（每个 >10%）Peneroplis、Amphistegina和Elphidium，而海湾沉积物以Quinqueloculina为主，其次是Elphidium、Amphistegina和Peneroplis. 与沉积物中活的和死的组合相比，与先前报道的与 macralgae 相关的活组合的组合差异似乎反映了沉积物分类的流体动力学影响和较大类群对物理降解的抵抗力。