Macrobenthos

Macrobenthos consists of the organisms that live at the bottom of a water column^[1] and are visible to the naked eye.^[2] In some classification schemes, these organisms are larger than 1 mm;^[1] in another, the smallest dimension must be at least 0.5 mm.^[3] They include polychaete worms, pelecypods, anthozoans, echinoderms, sponges, ascidians, crustaceans.

In freshwater ecosystems, the benthic macroorganisms provide a good visual indicator of water quality.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} J.S. Link, C.A. Griswold, E.T. Methratta, J. Gunnard, Editors. 2006. Documentation for the Energy Modeling and Analysis eXercise (EMAX). United States Department of Commerce, Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Reference Document 06-15 Chapter 8.
2. ^ "Macrobenthos definition". Mondofacto. 09 Oct 1997. http://www.mondofacto.com/facts/dictionary?macrobenthos. Retrieved 2011-01-26. 
3. ^ "Macrobenthos definition". Science-Dictionary.com. http://www.science-dictionary.com/definition/macrobenthos.html. Retrieved 2011-01-26.