Definission: Living in the fluid medium (water or air) but unable to maintain their position or distribution independently of the movement of the water/air mass (adapted from Lincoln et al., 1998).
Definission: The marine benthic biome (benthic meaning 'bottom') encompasses the seafloor and includes such areas as shores, littoral or intertidal areas, marine coral reefs, and the deep seabed.
Definission: Sediment is an environmental substance comprised of any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bedor bottom of a body of water or other liquid.
Definission: Direct developers are characterized by young that resemble the adult form even in early stages of development. The larval stages of marine direct developers generally have very low dispersal potential.
Definission: Gravel is an environmental material which is composed of pieces of rock that are at least two millimeters (2mm) in its largest dimension and no more than 75 millimeters.
Definission: An organism that feeds on mud or sand and shows little discrimination in the size or type of particles eaten. The sediment is ingested and any digestible organic material is assimilated as it passes through the alimentary canal.
Definission: consumers specializing in labile organic matter, which is easily metabolized; usually low molecular weight compounds, eg: simple sugars or proteins. For instance, metabolic scaling puts intense selective pressure on small organisms to ingest foods rich in labile organic matter; the residence time in a very short gut is too brief for enzymatic hydrolysis, so they specialize in rapidly metabolizable compounds.
Definission: consumers specializing in labile organic matter, which is easily metabolized; usually low molecular weight compounds, eg: simple sugars or proteins. For instance, metabolic scaling puts intense selective pressure on small organisms to ingest foods rich in labile organic matter; the residence time in a very short gut is too brief for enzymatic hydrolysis, so they specialize in rapidly metabolizable compounds.
