THE USE OF BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA ON PALEOECOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Benthic foraminifera primarily inhabit marine environments and are sensitive to changes in their environment; thus, they are valuable tools for environmental monitoring. Additionally, since these organisms are well preserved in the fossil record, they can be used to infer paleoecological characteristics and identify climatic perturbations. The use of benthic foraminifera, along with their ecology, as proxies for paleodepth, paleoproductivity, oxygenation, corrosivity, currents, and contamination is presented here. These types of proxies are comprehend the impact of perturbations on marine ecosystems in the past, which is relevant for understanding the effects of current and future climate variability.