Ecologic studies of benthic Foraminifera in Florida Bay indicate that 1) the bay is a specialized restricted platform interior environment; 2) its fauna is divisible into 3 subfaunas: nearshore, mudbank, and "lake', 3) substrate, currents, wave intensity, and wave direction affect local distribution but do not alter regional patterns; and 4) faunal assemblages rather than individual species of Foraminifera are diagnostic environmental indicators as many species range over several faunal zones. -from Authors