benthos

1 a region including the bottom of the sea and the littoral zones [syn: benthic division, benthonic zone]

2 organisms (plants and animals) that live at or near the bottom of a sea

English

Etymology

Greek βενθος.

Pronunciation

IPA: /'bɛnθɒs/

Noun

1. The flora and fauna at the bottom of the ocean or other body of water.

Benthos are the organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. 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.

The term benthos comes from the Greek for "depths of the sea".

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.

Categories

By type:

• zoobenthos: animals belonging to the benthos
• phytobenthos: plants belonging to the benthos

by location:

• epibenthos: live on top of the sediment
• hyperbenthos: live just above the sediment

By size:

See also

• Bottom feeder
• Pelagic zone

Notes

References

• Benthos
• Benthos. (2008) Encyclopædia Britannica. (Retrieved May 15, 2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online.)

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