Definition of benthos : organisms that live on or in the bottom of a body of water.
Table of Contents
What is the meaning benthos?
Definition of benthos : organisms that live on or in the bottom of a body of water.

What are two types of benthos?
Types of Benthos
- Hyperbenthos. These are the organisms that have the ability to swim and live near the bottom but are not attached to it.
- Epibenthos. Epibenthos spend their lives attached to the floor, on rocks, or on shells and they include sponges.
- Endobenthos.
- Deep-Sea Anglerfish.
- Hagfish.
- Seagrasses.
What is example of benthos?
The word benthos comes from a Greek term meaning “depths of the sea.” Benthic communities are complex and include a wide range of animals, plants and bacteria from all levels of the food web. Clams, worms, oysters, shrimp-like crustaceans and mussels are all examples of benthic organisms.
What is benthos and their classification?

Benthic organisms include both plants (phytobenthos) and animals (zoobenthos) and no vertebrates are represented as true benthos. Based on size. Life in the benthic region is also classified based on size viz. macrobenthos, meiobenthos and microbenthos.
Are benthos producers?
In most small streams, however, benthic algae are the dominant primary producers (Bott 1983, Wehr and Sheath 2003) and will grow on virtually any submerged surface, inorganic or organic, living or dead (Lamberti 1996).
Are barnacles benthos?
Holoplankton are permanent members, represented by many taxa in the sea. Meroplankton are temporary members, spending only a part of their life cycle in the plankton. They include larvae of anemones, barnacles, crabs and even fish, which later in life will join the nekton or the benthos.
What is marine benthos?
Marine Benthic Invertebrates Organisms living in or on the sediment on the seafloor are called benthos. Marine benthic invertebrate communities are dominated by polychaete annelids, molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms, but include members of many lesser known animal phyla.
Is Octopus a benthos?
The cephalopods are the most advanced mollusks and include the octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. Of these, only the octopus is really considered benthic. Other than the cuttlefish, these do not appear to have shells. In fact, both squid and octopi have a beak made of shell material.
Can benthos be autotrophic?
Benthos may be: autotrophic, such as seagrasses and algae; heterotrophic, preying on other organisms; filter feeders; feeders on organic matter in the sediment; or decomposers, such as bacteria.
What are zooplankton made of?
Zooplankton are small, aquatic microorganisms in the water column that include crustaceans, rotifers, open water insect larvae and aquatic mites. The zooplankton community is composed of both primary consumers, which eat free-floating algae, and secondary consumers, which feed on other zooplankton.
What are the five benthic zones?
The benthic zone is subdivided into different zones, namely intertidal or littoral zone, supralittoral zone, sublittoral zone, bathyal zone, abyssal zone and hadal zone.
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