Ocean habitats
aquatic ecosystem
continental shelf
neritic zone
littoral zone
intertidal
pelagic zone
demersal zone
benthic zone
benthic life
coral reefs
estuaries
seamounts
fishing banks
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Seagrass growing off the coast of Portofino, Italy. A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area of ecologically similar climatic conditions such as communities of Plants Animals and An aquatic ecosystem is an Ecosystem located in water bodies. The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each Continent and associated Coastal plain, which is covered during interglacial periods such The neritic zone, also called the sublittoral zone, is the part of the ocean extending from the low tide mark to the edge of the Continental shelf, with a relatively Littoral refers to the coast of an ocean or sea or to the banks of a river lake or estuary Intertidal ecology is the study of intertidal Ecosystems where organisms live between the low and high Tide lines Any water in the sea that is not close to the bottom is in the pelagic zone. The demersal zone is the part of the Sea or Ocean (or deep Lake) comprising the Water column that is near to (and is significantly affected The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a Body of water such as an Ocean or a Lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface Coral reefs are Aragonite structures produced by living organisms found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open A seamount is a Mountain rising from the Ocean Seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface ( Sea level) and thus is not an Island Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

Benthos are the organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. "Ocean Floor" redirects here For the 2001 song by Audio Adrenaline, see Lift (Audio Adrenaline album. The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a Body of water such as an Ocean or a Lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface ^[1] 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. Starfish (also called sea stars) are any Echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of Bivalve Mollusks most of which live in marine habitats or Brackish water. Clam is a word which can be used for all some or only a few Species of Bivalve Mollusks the word is a Common name which has The sea cucumber (also known as trepang, bêche-de-mer, or ambiguously Sea slug) is an Echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea Brittle stars, or ophiurids, are Echinoderms closely related to Sea stars. Sea anemones are a group of water dwelling predatory animals of the order Actiniaria; they are named after the Anemone, a terrestrial Flower Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus

The term benthos comes from the Greek for "depths of the sea". The Greek language has contributed to the English vocabulary in three ways directly as an immediate donor indirectly through other intermediate language(s ^[1] 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. A body of water is any significant accumulation of Water, usually covering the Earth or another planet ^[2]

The main food sources for benthos are plankton and organic runoff from land. Plankton consist of any drifting Organisms ( Animals Plants Archaea, or Bacteria) that inhabit the Pelagic zone of 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. Photosynthesis is a Metabolic pathway that converts Light Energy into Chemical energy. Diatoms ( Greek: (dia = "through" + (temnein = "to cut" i Filter feeders, such as sponges and pelecypods, dominate hard, sandy bottoms. Filter feeders (also known as suspension feeders) are Animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water typically by passing the water The sponges or poriferans (from Latin porus "pore" and ferre "to bear" are Animals Bivalves are Molluscs belonging to the class Bivalvia. They have two-part shells and typically both valves are symmetrical along the hinge line Deposit eaters, such as polychaetes, populate softer bottoms. The Polychaeta or polychaetes are a class of Annelid worms generally marine Fish, starfish, snails, cephalopods, and crustaceans are important predators and scavengers. Starfish (also called sea stars) are any Echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The word snail is a Common name that can be used for almost all members of the Molluscan class Gastropoda which have coiled shells in the The cephalopods ( Greek plural (kephalópoda "head-feet" are the Mollusc class Cephalopoda characterized by Structure of crustaceans As Arthropods crustaceans have a stiff Exoskeleton, which must be shed to allow the animal to grow ( Ecdysis or molting

Categories

Giant clam along the Great Barrier Reef. In Japanese cuisine, Geoduck (mirugai is sometimes referred to as "giant clam" The Great Barrier Reef is the largest Coral reef system in the world composed of over 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2600 kilometres (1600 mi

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

1. ^ ^{a b} Benthos from the Census of Antarctic Marine Life website
2. ^ North American Benthological Society website

References

• Benthos
• Benthos. (2008) Encyclopædia Britannica. Zoobenthos are the Animal subset of organisms more generally referred to as Benthos. Macrobenthos are large organisms which live at the bottom of a water column. The Polychaeta or polychaetes are a class of Annelid worms generally marine Bivalves are Molluscs belonging to the class Bivalvia. They have two-part shells and typically both valves are symmetrical along the hinge line Echinoderms (Phylum Echinodermata) are a phylum of marine Animals (including Sea stars) The sponges or poriferans (from Latin porus "pore" and ferre "to bear" are Animals Ascidiacea (commonly known as the ascidians or Sea squirts is a class in the Tunicata Subphylum of sac-like marine Filter feeders Structure of crustaceans As Arthropods crustaceans have a stiff Exoskeleton, which must be shed to allow the animal to grow ( Ecdysis or molting Meiofauna are small benthic invertebrates that live in both marine and fresh water environments. The Polychaeta or polychaetes are a class of Annelid worms generally marine Bivalves are Molluscs belonging to the class Bivalvia. They have two-part shells and typically both valves are symmetrical along the hinge line Copepods are a group of small Crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat and they constitute the biggest source of protein in the oceans Cumacea is an order of small marine Crustaceans occasionally called hooded shrimps. The nematodes or roundworms ( Phylum Nematoda from Greek (nema "thread" + -ode "like" are one of the most common Turbellaria are a group of generally small ( Platyhelminthes. The Foraminifera, ("Hole Bearers" or forams for short are a large group of Amoeboid Protists with reticulating Pseudopods fine The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have Diatoms ( Greek: (dia = "through" + (temnein = "to cut" i The ciliates are one of the most important groups of Protists common almost everywhere there is water — lakes ponds oceans rivers and soils with many ectosymbiotic Amoeba (sometimes amœba or ameba, plural amoebae) is a Genus of Protozoa that moves Flagellates are cells with one or more whip-like organelles called flagella. A bottom feeder is an Aquatic animal that feeds on or near the bottom of a body of water Any water in the sea that is not close to the bottom is in the pelagic zone. (Retrieved May 15, 2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online. )