The sea-bottom, or benthic habitat is composed of a variety of sediment types and is exposed to a wide range of water conditions, leading to the development of diverse plant and animal communities. Benthic habitats dealt with in this section are restricted to those that occur subtidally, from extreme low water to the continental shelf break at 200m depth. They are not exposed to air at low tide but are influenced by wave action and currents.

The plants and animals in benthic communities are determined largely by the nature of the sea bottom, in combination with turbidity, depth, temperature, salinity and nutrient level. Offshore habitats range from bedrock, to coarse sand and gravel, to silt and clay. Benthic plants depend on sunlight and occur only where enough light penetrates the water. Benthic animals include a wide variety of invertebrates and fish.

This Document Includes:

Formation
Physical Aspects
Ecosystem
Successional Sequence
Plants
Animals

Relation to Sediments
Bedrock and Boulders
Sand and Gravel Bottoms
Mud Bottoms

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Additional Keywords:
Eel Grass, subtidal habitat, phytoplankton, algae, continental shelf, kelp beds, sea urchins, holdfast, Northumberland Strait, epifauna, infauna, Bay of Fundy, Banquereau, Inner Shelf, encrusting organisms, invertebrate species, fish, groundfish, red seaweeds, brown seaweeds, Bras d'Or Lakes, Atlantic Coast

Associated Topics

T3.5 Offshore Bottom Characteristics
T6.1 Ocean Currents
T6.2 Oceanic Environments
T10.9 Algae
T11.14 Marine Fishes
T11.17 Marine Invertebrates
T12.11 Animals and Resources

Associated Habitats

H1.1 Open Water
H2.1 Rocky Shore
H2.2 Boulder/Cobble Shore
H2.3 Sandy Shore
H2.4 Mud Flat
H2.5 Tidal Marsh