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]
Animals belonging to the benthos are sometimes referred to as zoobenthos, while plants are referred to as phytobenthos.
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.