benthos

Seagrass growing off the coast of the Florida Keys.

Giant clam along the Great Barrier Reef.

Benthos are the organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone.^[1] Although the term derived from the Greek for "depths of the sea"^[1], the term is also used in freshwater biology to refer to organisms at the bottoms of freshwater bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, and streams.^[2]

Animals belonging to the benthos are sometimes referred to as zoobenthos, while plants are referred to as phytobenthos.

Benthos can be categorized according to size:

• macrobenthos, size > 1 mm
• meiobenthos, size < 1 mm and > 32 µm
• microbenthos, size < 32 µm

• epibenthos lives on top of the sediment
• hyperbenthos lives just above the sediment

Benthic organisms play an important role as a food source for fish and some also for humans.

Examples of benthic organisms are sea stars, oysters, clams, sea cucumbers, brittle stars and sea anemones.

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