BENTHOS

• Type of Substrate– Hard (Rock)– Soft (Sand or Mud)

P

BENTHOS

• Degree of Wave Shock– High Energy (Rock)– Low Energy (Sand or Mud)

P

BENTHOS

– Intertidal• Duration of Exposure

– Leads to zonation

– Subtidal– Deep-Sea

15_02aZonation in a

rocky intertidalP

15_02bS

PERIWINKLES

15_02g

S BARNACLES

15_02i

SANEMONE

15_04

S

15_05b

SSEA URCHINS

15_06

SALGAE

Zonation partly dependent on exposure, but alsopartly dependent on competition

P

East side of the Galveston jetties - notice light greenband of algae AND dark green of a different algae

S

P

15_08

SSAND BEACH ZONATIONless obvious, but still there

15_09a-e

SCLAM BURROWING

15_12a

S

Nematode Head(x804)

15_12b

S

Amphipod (crustacean)

15_12c

S

Polychaet (segmented worm)

LIVING STRATEGIES

• Attached

• Free Living

• Burrowing

P

15_14a

S

Kelp (attached)

15_18b

S Sponge (attached)

15_15a

S Spiny Lobster (free living)

15_16

S

Oyster Drill (free living)

S

Polychaete (burrowing)

SIZE

• Macrobenthos - large organisms (lobster)– High biomass, Low productivity

• Meiobenthos - medium-sized (clam)– Low biomass, High productivity

• Microbenthos - small-sized (round worms)– Low biomass, High productivity

P

15_15a

SMacrobenthos

Meiobenthos

15_12a

S

Microbenthos

CORAL REEFS

• serve as important habitats in the tropical oceans

• are populated by about 25% of all fish species

• are presently in a severe state of decline world-wide from ocean warming, sedimentation and exploitation

P

15_17

P

Speciation radiates from Indo-Pacific

15_19

S

Zonation of Coral Reefs

P

Coral Polyps

S

Coral Reef Fishes

S

S

Coral Atoll

ENERGY TRANSPORT TODEEP-SEA ORGANISMS

• Small sinking particles

• Overlapping ladders of migration

• Transport from land

• Large sinking particles

P

15_22P

Schematic Food Pathways

15_Ctl

S

Baited Camera - 9600 meters

15_Ctr

S

15_Ccl

S

15_Ccr

S

15_Cbl

S

15_Cbr

S

S

15_01

P

DEEP-SEA BIOMASS ONLY ABOUT 1% OFBIOMASS IN SHALLOW WATER - WHY?