Benthic communities: the ocean’s last boundary?

Abstract

Benthic communities depend on receiving much of their food from water column-produced materials. During sinking, particles are transformed in a discontinuous process and temporally retained in transitional physical structures, which act as boundaries, and contribute to their further transformation. Motile organisms are well-acquainted with boundaries. The number, width and placement of boundaries should be related to the degree of particle degradation or transformation. Finally, particles reach the seafloor and are the main food source for benthic organisms; the quality and quantity of this food determine the development of benthic communities. However, benthic communities do not only play the role of a sink: they act as an active boundary -a concept comparable to other oceanic boundaries-, in accordance with Margalef’s boundary concept