Ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water
Marine habitats
Photomicrograph of typical benthic animals, including (from top to bottom) amphipods, a polychaete worm, a snail, and a chironomous midge larva
Coastal habitats
Littoral zone
Intertidal zone
Estuaries
Mangrove forests
Seagrass meadows
Kelp forests
Coral reefs
Continental shelf
Neritic zone
Ocean surface
Surface microlayer
Epipelagic zone
Open ocean
Pelagic zone
Oceanic zone
Sea floor
Seamounts
Hydrothermal vents
Cold seeps
Demersal zone
Benthic zone
Marine sediment
v
t
e
The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "the depths."[1] Organisms living in this zone are called benthos and include microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi)[2][3] as well as larger invertebrates, such as crustaceans and polychaetes.[4] Organisms here generally live in close relationship with the substrate and many are permanently attached to the bottom. The benthic boundary layer, which includes the bottom layer of water and the uppermost layer of sediment directly influenced by the overlying water, is an integral part of the benthic zone, as it greatly influences the biological activity that takes place there. Examples of contact soil layers include sand bottoms, rocky outcrops, coral, and bay mud.
^"Benthos". 22 April 2022.
^Wetzel, Robert G. (2001). Limnology: Lake and River Ecosystems, 3rd edn. Academic Press, San Diego. pp. 635–637.
^Fenchel, T.; King, G.; Blackburn, T. H. (2012). Bacterial Biogeochemistry: The Ecophysiology of Mineral Cycling, 3rd edn. Academic Press, London. pp. 121–122.
^"What Are Benthos?". Baybenthos.versar.com. 2006-01-23. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
The benthiczone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and...
crabs living in this zone are called benthos. Just above the benthiczone is the demersal zone. Demersal fish can be divided into benthic fish, which are denser...
near the bottom of a sea, river, lake, or stream, also known as the benthiczone. This community lives in or near marine or freshwater sedimentary environments...
edge of the continental shelf. The benthiczone in the sublittoral is much more stable than in the intertidal zone; temperature, water pressure, and the...
species located in the mesopelagic zone, but the benthiczone at mesopelagic depths has remained widely unknown. Benthic habitats at depths beyond the mesopelagic...
seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthiczone and forms a layer of the larger profundal zone.[citation needed] Being just above...
of the number of animals) on our planet. Abyssal zoneBenthiczone Hadal zone Pelagic zone Photic zone Earle, Sylvia A.; Thorne-Miller, Boyce (1999). The...
concentration. While benthic fauna differs between lakes, Chironomidae and Oligochaetae often dominate the benthic fauna of the profundal zone because they possess...
penetrate through the water column to the floor or benthiczone is what defines the neritic zone. That photic zone, or area where light can penetrate through...
stratified. Ponds and pools have two regions: the pelagic open water zone, and the benthiczone, which comprises the bottom and shore regions. Since lakes have...
portal Benthiczone – Ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water Benthos – Community of organisms that live in the benthiczone Bottom feeder –...
intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide: in other words, the part of the littoral zone within the...
bottom of the ocean and demersal trawling is towing a net just above the benthiczone. Bottom trawling can be contrasted with midwater trawling (also known...
and dormancy in the benthiczone followed by excystment and reproduction in the pelagic zone before returning to the benthiczone once more. There also...
the oceanic zone. The open ocean is vertically divided into four zones: the sunlight zone, twilight zone, midnight zone, and abyssal zone. The Mesopelagic...
sharks, and tuna live. The benthiczone consists of substrates below water where many invertebrates live. The intertidal zone is the area between high and...
mesopelagic zone it is pitch dark. This is the midnight or bathypelagic zone, extending from 1000 m to the bottom deep water benthiczone. If the water...
of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone and another part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone are subject to the legal regime of transit...
depths. This dead and decaying matter sustains the benthic food chain; most organisms in the benthiczone are scavengers or detritivores. The term benthos...
these species often navigate into the littoral zone as well. Benthiczone Littoral zone Profundal zone "Inland lake habitats critical to maintaining healthy...
and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environments and are an example of...
tidal bores has been linked to growth rates of suspension feeders and benthic algae as well as plankton and larval organisms. The seaweed Codium isthmocladum...
A benthic lander is an autonomous observational platform that sits on the seabed or benthiczone to record physical, chemical or biological activity. Benthic...
the tide pool." The rocky shoreline exhibits distinct zones with unique characteristics. These zones are created by the tidal movements of water along the...
which are planktic organisms that spend part of their life cycle in the benthiczone. Examples of holoplankton include some diatoms, radiolarians, some dinoflagellates...
to the north of Hans Lollik on the same shelf. The major part of the benthiczone around Hans Lollik is rocky and supports a dense diverse coral habitat...
organisms in the water column, benthic organisms in this region tend to have limited to no bioluminescence. The bathypelagic zone contains sharks, squid, octopi...
Hydrothermal vents Cold seeps Benthiczone Pelagic zone (trades and westerlies) Abyssal Hadal (ocean trench) Littoral/Intertidal zone Salt marsh Estuaries Coastal...
Scorpaeniformes is the Scorpaenoidei. This suborder is usually found in the benthiczone, which is the lowest region of any water body like oceans or lakes. There...
Global Information