Benthos

Benthos

Benthos are the organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. [http://www.caml.aq/benthos/index.html Benthos] from the Census of Antarctic Marine Life website] They live in or near marine sedimentary environments, from the littoral to the deep-sea.

The term "benthos" comes from the Greek for "depths of the sea". Benthos is also used in freshwater biology to refer to organisms at the bottom of freshwater bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, and streams. [ [http://www.benthos.org/AboutNABS/Whatisbenthos.htm North American Benthological Society website] ]

The main food sources for benthos are plankton and organic runoff from land. The depth of water, temperature and salinity, and type of local substrate all affect what benthos is present. In coastal waters and other places where light reaches the bottom, benthic photosynthesizing diatoms can proliferate. Filter feeders, such as sponges and pelecypods, dominate hard, sandy bottoms. Deposit eaters, such as polychaetes, populate softer bottoms. Fish, starfish, snails, cephalopods, and crustaceans are important predators and scavengers.

Benthic organisms, such as sea stars, oysters, clams, sea cucumbers, brittle stars and sea anemones, play an important role as a food source for fish and humans.

By size

Macrobenthos

Macrobenthos are the larger, more visible, benthos that are greater than 1 mm in size. Some examples are polychaete worms, bivalves, echinoderms, sea anemones, corals, sponges, sea squirts, turbellarians and larger crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters and cumaceans.

Meiobenthos

Meiobenthos are tiny benthos that are less than 1 mm but greater than 32 µm in size. Some examples are nematodes, foraminiferans, water bears, gastrotriches and smaller crustaceans such as copepods and ostracodes.

Microbenthos

Microbenthos are microscopic benthos that are less than 32 µm in size. Some examples are bacteria, diatoms, ciliates, amoeba, flagellates

By type

Zoobenthos

Zoobenthos are animals belonging to the benthos.

Phytobenthos

Phytobenthos are plants belonging to the benthos.

By location

Epibenthos

Epibenthos live on top of the sediment

Hyperbenthos

Hyperbenthos live just above the sediment

See also

* Bottom feeder
* Pelagic zone

Notes

References

* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9078658 "Benthos."] (2008) Encyclopædia Britannica. (Retrieved May 15, 2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online.)
* Ryan, Paddy (2007) [http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/SeaLife/DeepSeaCreatures/4/en "Benthic communities"] Te Ara - the Encyclopædia of New Zealand, updated 21 September 2007.
* Yip, Maricela and Madl, Pierre (1999) [http://www.sbg.ac.at/ipk/avstudio/pierofun/rovigno/rovigno2.htm "Benthos"] University of Salzburg.

External links

* [http://paleopolis.rediris.es/benthos/ Benthos]


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  • benthos — [ bɛ̃tos ] n. m. • 1897; mot gr. « profondeur » ♦ Didact. Ensemble des organismes qui vivent sur les fonds des mers et s y déplacent peu. Benthos, plancton et necton. ● benthos nom masculin (grec benthos, profondeur) Ensemble des êtres vivants… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • benthos — life forms of the deep ocean and sea floor, 1891, coined by Haeckel from Gk. benthos depth of the sea, related to bathos depth, bathys deep, of unknown origin. Adjective benthic is attested from 1902 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Benthos — Ben thos (b[e^]n th[o^]s), n. [NL., fr. Gr. be nqos depth of the sea.] The bottom of the sea, esp. of the deep oceans; hence (Bot. & Zo[ o]l.), the fauna and flora of the sea bottom; opposed to {plankton}. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Benthos — (griech., »Tiefe, Meerestiefe«), nach Haeckel die Gesamtheit derjenigen wasserbewohnenden Lebewesen, die im Gegensatze zu dem in verschiedenen Tiefen frei schwebenden Plankton (s. d.) am Grunde festgeheftet sind oder sich auf dem Grunde kriechend …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • benthos — [ben′thäs΄] n. [ModL < Gr, depth of the sea; akin to bathos: see BATHY ] all the plants and animals living on or closely associated with the bottom of a body of water, esp. the ocean benthic [ben′thik] adj. benthonic [ben′thän′ik] …   English World dictionary

  • Benthos — Einige typische limnische Benthonten Meeres …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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