Benthic feeding

Benthic feeding is the consumption of organisms living on or near the bottom of an aquatic environment. It includes feeding on bottom-dwelling animals, plants, and microbes, as well as organic matter deposited there.

Deposit feeding: Deposit feeding is the consumption of organic matter mixed into sediment or settled on its surface. It describes extracting food directly from bottom sediments.
Benthic zone: The benthic zone is the ecological region at the bottom of a body of water. It is the habitat where benthic feeding takes place.
Sediment: Sediment is particulate material that settles and accumulates at the bottom of a liquid or other environment. It can contain organic matter and organisms consumed by benthic feeders.
Sea cucumber: A sea cucumber is a marine echinoderm with an elongated body and a mouth surrounded by feeding tentacles. Many sea cucumbers ingest sediment and digest its organic material.
Suspension feeding: Suspension feeding is the capture of food particles carried in water. Some benthic animals collect suspended particles from water flowing above the bottom.
Benthic-pelagic coupling: Benthic-pelagic coupling is the exchange of matter and energy between the water column and aquatic bottom habitats. Food produced in open water can settle and support benthic feeders.
Benthic community: A benthic community is the collection of organisms living on or within an aquatic bottom. Its members include both benthic feeders and the organisms they consume.
Polychaete: A polychaete is a segmented marine worm belonging to the class Polychaeta. Polychaetes include sediment deposit feeders, suspension feeders, and predators.
Predation: Predation is an interaction in which one organism kills and consumes another. Many bottom-feeding animals hunt prey living on or within the substrate.
Trophic ecology: Trophic ecology studies how organisms obtain and transfer energy through food relationships. Benthic feeding is one route by which energy moves through aquatic food webs.

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