“…Although benthic foraminifera are a relevant component of the benthic fauna and hold many ecological traits ideal for environmental biomonitoring, they have not yet been included as biotic indicators in the Brazilian environmental guidelines. Benthic foraminifera are ameboid protists that: (a) constitute the most abundant and widespread unicellular organisms of the meiofauna in the modern oceans (Murray, 2007;Sen Gupta, 1999), inhabiting from the deep sea to transitional environments (brackish water lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, saltmarshes) and even rarely in freshwater streams and lakes (Boltovskoy et al, 1980;Siemensma et al, 2017;Wylezich et al, 2014); (b) play a key role in the functioning of the benthic environment, contributing to bioturbation, seafloor ventilation, carbon and nitrogen geochemical cycle (Groß, 2002;Cesbron et al, 2016;Piña-Ochoa et al, 2010); (c) generally have a short reproductive and life cycle, and therefore, their responses to environmental change are rapid, being considered environmental sentinels (Kramer & Botterweg, 1991;Schönfeld et al, 2012); (d) some species can tolerate adverse environmental conditions, while others are more sensitive (Bouchet et al, 2007;;Jayaraju et al, 2011;Martins et al, 2017;Prazeres et al, 2017;Vidović et al, 2014); (e) are easy and cheap to collect and process, and are often found in high density in small samples (a few cm 3 ), providing an adequate basis for statistical studies (Armynot du Châtelet et al, 2004); and (f) their tests can be preserved in the sediments. This not only makes them a possible tool for paleoecological and paleoenvironmental reconstructions (Hayward et al, 2004;Alve et al, 2009;Dolven et al, 2013;Armynot du Châtelet et al, 2018a, b) but also as an indicator of pre-impact conditions (e.g., Alve, 1991;Alve et al, 2009;Dolven et al, 2013;Francescangeli et al, 2016).…”