The benthic zone Flashcards
1
Q
Soft sediments
A
Majority of the sea floor is soft sediments
2
Q
Microphytobenthos
A
The main primary producers in shallow photic sediments
3
Q
Decomposition
A
Cells and carbon exudates are utilised by microbes and detrivores
4
Q
Infauna
A
Living on and in the bed
5
Q
Epifauna
A
Stationary organisms or those moving along the bed
6
Q
Nektobenthos
A
Organisms moving freely in the water above the bed
7
Q
Bioturbation
A
Transfer of OM from the surface to depth
8
Q
What are C and N transformation and fluxes regulated by
A
Benthic biological and chemical processes
9
Q
Effect of fauna grazing and movements
A
rework the bed mounds, oxygenate the bed and transfer OM downwards
10
Q
What does microbial mineralisation in sediments cause?
A
OM back into constituent inorganic nutrients
11
Q
A
