Deposit feeding

Deposit feeding is a feeding strategy in which animals ingest organic particles settled on or within sediments, often along with mineral grains.

Selective deposit feeding: Feeding that preferentially ingests organic-rich particles rather than sediment indiscriminately. Some deposit feeders sort particles by size, chemistry, or microbial content before ingestion.
Benthic zone: The ecological region at the bottom of a body of water, including its surface and subsurface sediments. Deposit feeding is a major way animals obtain food in bottom habitats.
Lugworm: A marine polychaete worm that lives in a burrow and ingests sediment for its organic content. Its feeding and burrowing produce characteristic casts and reshape intertidal sediment.
Bioturbation: The disturbance and mixing of soils or sediments by living organisms. Deposit feeding is one process that generates this broader ecological effect.
Nonselective deposit feeding: Feeding that ingests sediment with little apparent discrimination among its particles. Many animals process large sediment volumes because edible material is dilute.
Sediment: Particles of mineral or organic material that accumulate at the bottom of water bodies or on land. It is the substrate and ingested material central to this feeding strategy.
Sea cucumber: A marine echinoderm with an elongated body that commonly consumes sediment or suspended particles. Many species ingest seabed sediment and digest its organic fraction.
Nutrient cycling: The movement and transformation of nutrients among organisms and the physical environment. Sediment processing affects how nutrients are retained, released, and recycled.
Gut passage time: The time food remains in an animal's digestive tract before being expelled. Longer processing can improve extraction from nutrient-poor sediment.
Detritus: Nonliving organic material produced by the breakdown of organisms and their waste. Detrital particles are a major food source within sediments.

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