Benthos

    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]

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

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.