While they are extremely abundant and ecologically important, the epiphytic foraminifera of tropical reefs are still poorly known. The present study describes the foraminiferal assemblages associated with macroalgae on tropical reefs of the Brazilian coast. Samples of four species of macroalgae, two foliose (Padina antillarum and Ulva lactuca) and two corticated (Palisada perforata and Gelidiella acerosa), were collected from intertidal sandstone reefs at Pina, Enseada dos Corais, and Toquinho (Northeastern Brazil). Overall, only 13.3% of the 708,754 foraminifera specimens were alive, belonging to 37 species, with dominance of Rosalina anglica. Most tests were hyaline-perforate and conical in shape, and most species were permanently or temporarily sessile. The majority of living foraminifera were attached to the surface of Palisada and Gelidiella, and no attached specimens were found in either Padina or Ulva. The species richness and abundance of the living foraminifera varied significantly among the macroalgae, occurring the high values in P. perforata. The assemblages varied significantly between the two species of corticated macroalgae, and between the corticated and foliose species, but not between the two foliose algae. Some of the specimens of Glabratella and Rosalina were reproducing, and had juveniles attached to the parental test. This is the first study to focus on the ecological interactions of the epiphytic foraminifera of the tropical southern Atlantic Ocean, and its results indicate that the characteristics of the epiphytic assemblages can be used as a proxy for the understanding of the structure and function of microbenthic communities on tropical reefs.

虽然热带珊瑚礁的附生有孔虫数量极其丰富且具有重要的生态意义，但人们对它们仍然知之甚少。本研究描述了与巴西海岸热带珊瑚礁上的大型藻类相关的有孔虫组合。从皮纳 (Pina)、Enseada dos Corais和托基尼奥 (Toquinho)（巴西东北部）的潮间带砂岩礁中采集了四种大型藻类的样本，其中两种叶状藻类（Padina antillarum和Ulva milkuca）和两种皮质藻类（ Palisada perforata 和Gelidiella acerosa）。总体而言，708,754 个有孔虫标本中只有 13.3% 是活的，属于 37 个物种，其中以Rosalina anglica为主。大多数测试的形状是透明的、有孔的和圆锥形的，并且大多数物种是永久或暂时无柄的。大部分活体有孔虫附着在帕里萨达和石花菜的表面，而在帕迪纳和石莼中均未发现附着标本。大型藻类中活体有孔虫的物种丰富度和丰度差异显着，其中P. perforata的值最高。两种皮质大型藻类之间以及皮质藻类和叶状藻类之间的组合存在显着差异，但两种叶状藻类之间的组合没有显着差异。Glabratella和Rosalina的一些样本正在繁殖，并有幼体附着在亲代测试中。这是首次关注热带南大西洋附生有孔虫生态相互作用的研究，其结果表明附生组合的特征可以作为了解微底栖动物群落结构和功能的代理。热带珊瑚礁上。