Taphonomic aspects of recent benthic foraminiferal assemblages, North Coast of the Sate of Bahia, Brazil

This research focuses on the analysis of benthic foraminiferal assemblages in surface sediment samples from the seafloor, collected on the continental shelf adjacent to Arembepe Beach within the municipality of Camaçari, on the North Coast of the State of Bahia (Brazil). An industrial submarine outfall significantly influences this area. This study showcases the results of the spatio-temporal distribution of foraminiferal assemblages, their ecological characteristics, and the taphonomy of the foraminifera tests, relating them to the environmental sedimentary processes in the area. The benthic macroforaminifera-carrying symbionts dominate; they are indicative of shallow environments and are in line with the ecological needs of the fauna typical of warm and shallow tropical waters. The persistent spatio-temporal patterns suggest that despite moderate to high hydrodynamic energy, which is expected in shallow tropical shelf environments, it does not considerably impact the distribution of the foraminiferal assemblages. This reflects the uniformity in the faunal composition and the clear temporal continuity observed.