Depositional environmentIn geology, depositional environment or sedimentary environment describes the combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes associated with the deposition of a particular type of sediment and, therefore, the rock types that will be formed after lithification, if the sediment is preserved in the rock record. In most cases, the environments associated with particular rock types or associations of rock types can be matched to existing analogues.
MicrofaunaMicrofauna (from Ancient Greek mikros'small' and Latin fauna'animal') are microscopic animals and organisms that exhibit animal-like qualities and have body sizes that are usually <0.1 mm. Microfauna are represented in the animal kingdom (e.g. nematodes, small arthropods) and some other heterotrophic, microscopic eukaryotes. A large amount of microfauna are soil microfauna which includes eukaryotic microbes, rotifers, and nematodes.
Benthic zoneEcological region at the lowest level of a body of waterThe benthic zone, from Ancient Greek βένθος (bénthos) 'the depths of the ocean', is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water, such as a stream, river, lake, or ocean, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living in this zone are called benthos or, more informally, bottom dwellers.
CopepodCopepods (; meaning 'oar-feet') are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwaterhabitat.
RotiferThe rotifers (, from Latin 'wheel' and 'bearing'), sometimes called wheel animals or wheel animalcules, make up a phylum (Rotifera) of microscopic and near-microscopic pseudocoelomateanimals. They were first described by Rev. John Harris in 1696, and other forms were described by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1703.
Taxonomy (biology)In biology, taxonomy (from Ancient Greek (taxis)'arrangement' and ()'method') is the scientific study of naming, defining (circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Modern approaches prioritize common ancestry and evolutionary relationships.
OstracodOstracods, or ostracodes, are a class of the Crustacea (class Ostracoda), sometimes known as seed shrimp. Some 33,000 species (only 13,000 of which are extant) have been identified, grouped into 7 valid orders. They are small crustaceans, typically around 1 mm (0.04 in) in size, but varying from 0.2 to 32 mm (0.0079 to 1.3 in), the latter in the case of the marine Gigantocypris. The largest known freshwater species is , which reach 8 mm in length.
InvertebrateInvertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a spine or backbone), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordatesubphylumVertebrata, i.e. vertebrates. Nonetheless, almost all invertebrates belong to the monophyletic clade Protostomia, including arthropods, molluscs, annelids, and flatworms.
Marine habitatHabitat that supports marine lifeCoral reefs provide marine habitats for tube sponges, which in turn become marine habitats for fishesA marine habitat is a habitat that supports marine life. Marine life depends in some way on the saltwater that is in the sea (the term marine comes from the Latinmare, meaning sea or ocean). A habitat is an ecological or environmental area inhabited by one or more living species. The marine environment supports many kinds of these habitats.Molly F. MareMary Florence "Molly" Mare (10 July 1914 – 27 August 1997), married name Spooner, was a British marine biologist who introduced the term meiobenthos in 1942. She was also an internationally recognized expert on oil spills.
Littoral zoneThe littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of an ocean, sea, lake, or river, that is close to the shore. It provides extensive and productive habitats around the world, adjacent to land-water interfaces. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the foreshore (intertidal zone) extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated) to the low water mark (where coastal areas become permanently submerged).
Deep seaThe deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of 200 m (660 ft) or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes. Conditions within the deep sea are a combination of low temperatures, darkness, and high pressure. The deep sea is considered the least explored Earth biome as the extreme conditions make the environment difficult to access and explore.Freshwater ecosystemFreshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems that include the biological communities inhabiting freshwater waterbodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, springs, bogs, and wetlands. They can be contrasted with marine ecosystems, which have a much higher salinity. Freshwater habitats can be classified by different factors, including temperature, light penetration, nutrients, and vegetation.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.