Beyond taxonomy: A framework for biological trait analysis to assess the functional structure of benthic foraminiferal communities

International audience ; Benthic foraminifera, as key components of marine and transitional ecosystems, provide a valuable opportunityto investigate the effects of environmental changes on marine biodiversity. While traditional taxonomic approacheshave been instrumental in assessing benthic foraminifera assemblages, a trait-based approach offers amore holistic perspective on their ecological roles. This study introduces a framework for biological trait analysis(BTA) of benthic foraminifera, emphasizing the importance of morphological, physiological, and ecologicaltraits. We examine the potential of morphogroup analysis as a precursor to BTA, acknowledging its limitations,and propose a list of functional traits relevant to benthic foraminifera. These include both response and effecttraits, such as wall texture, test size, chamber arrangement, chamber disposition, pore density, pore size, lifemode, feeding mode, bioturbation mode, respiration mode, association and indicative value. Additionally, weaddress the challenges and opportunities associated with quantifying and analyzing foraminiferal functionaltraits, and outline key statistical methods for exploring trait-environment relationships. By implementing BTA,we can evaluate the functional diversity and ecological roles of foraminiferal communities, identify the drivers ofcommunity structure, predict responses to environmental changes, and assess the impacts of anthropogenicdisturbances on marine ecosystems.