Abstract
The sea-floor provides several conditions favourable for animal life. There is food available, mainly in the form of fragments of organic matter sinking from the overlying water, and in some areas this food supply is sufficient to support a large population. Many bottom-dwelling creatures are able to live and grow to large size with relatively little expenditure of energy in hunting and collecting food because they can obtain adequate nourishment simply by gathering the particles that fall within their reach or are carried to them by the currents, or by digesting the organic matter and associated bacteria contained within the sediment. Most of the sea bottom is covered with soft deposits which give concealment and protection to burrowing creatures. Where the substrate is hard it provides a secure surface for the attachment of sessile forms and affords protection for creatures which hide in crevices or burrow in rock. Compared with the pelagic division of the marine environment the sea bottom provides a far wider variety of habitats because the nature of the bottom differs greatly from place to place. The benthic population of the sea is correspondingly more diverse than the pelagic population.
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References and Further Reading
Books
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© 1972 R. V. Tait
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Tait, R.V. (1972). The Sea Bottom. In: Elements of Marine Ecology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-8297-3_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-8297-3_6
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