Foraminifera and biostratigraphy: A teaching approach. The Principle of the Faunistic Succession was the first step to the application of paleontology for the resolution of stratigraphic problems by the use of fossils for strata zoning and correlation. The application of paleontology to solve stratigraphic problems began with the observation of macrofossils in marine strata by naturalists, geologists and engineers in the first half of the 19th century. However, the major advances were a result of the study of microfossils, which include the foraminifera, one of the more studied groups. Their direct application in the petroleum industry has revolutionized the knowledge of the Cenozoic biostratigraphy. The diffusion and improvement of biostratigraphy from the second half of the 19th century resulted from the petroleum industry. The recent advances of biostratigraphy include the integrated use of diverse taxonomic groups as well as the association with techniques such as sequence stratigraphy and seismic. To efficiently apply biostratigraphy is important to know the phylogenetic relationship between organisms, limiting factor of their distribution and taphonomic aspects that influence theirs fossils remains distribution and preservation. The purposes of this work are present, in a didactic approach, historical aspects and theoretical bases of biostratigraphy using foraminifera, and suggested exercises for teaching the concepts.
