Unjustifiably ignored: reflections on the role of benthos in marine ecosystems

摘要

The benthos is not highly regarded by most marine biologists. As a consequence, the in the past5 most funds have gone into pelagic research, despite the fact that the marine benthos has several properties which render its investigation particularly rewarding. It is far richer in species than is the water column. In addition due to the comparatively low mobility and longevity of many orgnaisms which gives relative persistent assemblages, the behtos is far more suited for monitoring environemtnal conditions than the ephemeral associations that characterize a certain water body. However, on the rare occasions that benthic research was included in major international programmes, this was usually justified by the role as a temporary or final store for material sedimenting from the water column.