Benthos

Benthos: the flora and fauna found at the bottom of the sea or lake. Covers quite a wide range of uses, for instance, animals in rock pools are benthic, though only a few inches below the surface. In the ocean, used to contrast organisms in the sea depths (though not actually on the bottom), with plankton, living in the upper pelagic zone. The problem is addressed by extending the pelagic zone down below the light to the bathypelagic and abyssopelagic zones. These terms, however, are mostly not used.

Benthos Media

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  Seaweed and two chitons in a tide pool

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  This beautiful diatom chain was found in a sediment sample collected in shallow area of Moreton Bay. Notice the perfection in the structure details.

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  Example zoobenthosA variety of marine wormsPlate from Das Meerby M. J. Schleiden (1804–1881)
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  Effect of eutrophicationon marine benthic life
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  Benthos (organisms that live at the ocean floor) can be contrasted with neuston (organisms that live at the ocean surface) plankton (organisms that drift with water currents) and nekton (organisms that can swim against water currents)
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  Floridian seagrass bed

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  Nerr

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  Rhopalaea crassa, Fluorescent-colored sea squirts.

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  Aquatic worm, snail, midge larvae and amphipods