Marine benthos - A future perspective

Abstract

Benthic organisms are reported from different kinds of substrate like hard bottom, soft bottom, coarse bottom and also from organic matter and other macrodebris. Benthos are in general, sessile and slow moving in nature. 75% of benthic animals live on firm substrates (rocks, corals etc), 20% on sandy/muddy bottoms and only 5% of the total are planktonic. Many benthic animals within the sediment perform periodic vertical migration. Benthos are mostly either filter feeder or browsers or deposit feeders. Their feeding depends on particle size, quantity abundance and choice preference. Their species diversity and abundance vary widely with geographical area, climate, spatial and temporal difference, physico-chemical factors and other biological interactions.