Benthos

Benthos, the assemblage of organisms inhabiting the seafloor. Benthic epifauna live upon the seafloor or upon bottom objects; the so-called infauna live within the sediments of the seafloor. Meiobenthos, those organisms between and 1 mm in size, include polychaetes, pelecypods.
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Password must be at least 8 characters long. There are over 5, species of brown seaweed. Brown seaweed isn't always totally brown. It has a brown pigment called xanthophyll as well as a green pigment called chlorophyll. Because it has both brown and green pigments, brown seaweed can be vary in color from brown to a greenish-brown.

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Kelp is a brown algae. Some species of kelp can grow feet long. Most species of kelp have stems called stipes that they use to anchor themselves. Gulfweed is another brown algae. Gulfweed has little berry-like pneumatocystson on its leaves that are filled with air and help keep its leaves afloat on the water's surface.


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There are over 2, species of red algae seaweeds and they are usually small. Their red color comes from the pigment phycoerythrin. Phycoerythrin helps red algae photosynthesize in dim light. Because they can use dimmer light, they often grow in deeper waters than other algae. Green algae are more common on land and in freshwater environments. They get their color from chlorophyll. They aren't as common in the ocean as brown and red algae seaweed.


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There are about different of green marine seaweeds. Sealettuce or ulva is a common green algae seaweed that can be found in rocky and sandy pools. Sea anemone are invertebrates like starfish and sea urchins. There are about 1, species. They can be found at depths of up to 30, feet. They are found in all the world's oceans.

Some of the most colorful ones are found in tropical waters. Sea anemone come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. They can range in size from a less than an inch to five feet in diameter. They have a mouth in the center of their body. Their mouths are usually surrounded by petal-like tentacles. They use the tentacles to catch food. The tentacles may have venomous stingers on them that paralyze prey. They then pull the prey into their mouths with their tentacles.

Most species attach themselves to rocks, the ocean floor and sometimes animals with their pedal disc. The pedal disc on the bottom of the sea anemone and is like a suction cup! Most sea anemone are stationary, but some can creep along very, very slowly using their pedal disc.

Benthos: Definition, Types & Examples

There are some species that bury all but their tentacles and mouths under the sand or silt and a few species float in the water. Certain benthos are also useful to scientists in the way that can indicate the health and quality of the water. For example, a decline in the number of caddisflies, which are very sensitive to pollutants, can indicate an increase in pollution and waste in the water.

Some of them emit light from the spine attached to their heads in order to attract prey in the dark bottoms. As we can see in the picture below, the tip, where the bioluminescence occurs, is in perfect position to allow the fish to capture their prey. Once an organism gets close enough to the light source, the anglerfish closes up its large mouth, creating a cage with its teeth. Also, because these organisms live in harsh environments, when a male anglerfish matures, it spends the rest of their life as a parasite attached to a female anglerfish, ensuring that reproduction of this species continues to occur.

These adaptations are what allow anglerfish to survive at very low depths in the water. These are deep-sea organisms that look like eels and rely on dead bodies of organisms that sink to the bottom for food. When a large animal, such as a whale dies and its body sinks to the bottom, hagfish burrow into the body and consume the flesh.

This is the way that these organisms recycle organic matter that reaches the seafloor. Hagfish have also adapted to breathe through their skin when burrowed in the mud, and though they have very simple eyes and are almost blind, hagfish have an exceptionally strong sense of smell and touch, allowing them to find food in the dark.

Benthos - Wikipedia

Lastly, in order to protect themselves, hagfish can produce a slimy substance that helps them fight off predators. These are photosynthesizing flowering plants, so they are only found in the photic zone, where sunlight can reach the bottom. Seagrasses benefit the environment by stabilizing the seabed with their roots. They also provide shelter and food for some organisms, can slow down waves and reduce erosion of land, and like land plants, they help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide present in the environment.

Which of the following groups does the sea dollar belong to? Sea anemones Answer to Question 1 C is correct.