📋 Tender Overview
Buloid Globigerin reveals how the planets temperature has changed over time.A microscopic organism found in Arequipa is helping scientists reconstruct the climate of the past and better understand the present. This is Buloid Globigerina, a tiny planktonic foraminiferous who has inhabited the oceans for more than 23 million years and that still exists today.
This fossil was found in strata of the Camana Formation, in the Arequipa region, and corresponds to the upper oligocene, that is, it has between 27 and 23 million years. Thanks to its unique characteristics and its sensitivity to climate change, it has been chosen by Ingemmet as the fossil of the month of July 2025.
What is a foraminiferous?
Foraminifers are marine unicellular organisms that live in the plankton or on seabed. Although they measure just some millimeter fractions, they build calcium carbonate shells (testas) that are preserved as microfossils in marine sediments. These structures allow to study ancient environmental changes. Some current foraminifers, such as Neogloboquadrina Pachyderma or Universa Orbulina, are also widely used in Paleoclima studies.
In the case of G. Bulloides, his shell has a spiral shape with globular cameras and rough surface. This design, although tiny, is very valuable: when forming, the shell captures the chemical composition of marine water, including the temperature and content of CO2.
This organism lives in temperate to cold waters and is especially abundant in surgence areas, regions where deep and cold water ascend towards the surface bringing nutrients. In these environments, G. Bulloides mainly feeds on microscopic algae, which is reflected in the green or brown color of its cytoplasm. This diet the difference from other spiny foraminifers, which are usually carnivorous.
Why is this fossil important?
Because there is still today. Its presence in both fossil and current waters allows to directly compare climatic conditions of the past with those of the present. Its sensitivity to the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) makes it a key species to rebuild the ancient climate and understand processes of current climate change.
Knowing more about Buloid Globigerina and other foraminifera helps decipher how the climate of the earth has evolved and what we can expect in the coming years.
