Structure and Dynamics of the Marine Anaerobic Microbenthos
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Date
1971-05
Authors
Cooke, John H.
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Abstract
Nearly all ecosystems of land and water including the open sea show a vertical zonation of physical and chemical factors and of flora and fauna. In such transitory zones there frequently exists interfaces where air meets land or light meets darkness or one physical condition gives way to another. Such an interface occurs within the sands and sediments of sea basins. The oxygenated surface layers of marine sand bottoms and beaches give way in deeper layers to anaerobic-reducing conditions with the exception of surf swept high energy beaches. Such interfaces frequently have biological significance.
The extent of the anaerobic-reducing biome is indicated by the size of the ocean basins themselves excluding areas without sediment and the "high energy windows" of surf swept beaches. In comparison, the anaerobic biome far exceeds the size of the aerobic surface sediments, although a great deal more scientific work has been done in oxygenated sediments.
Description
43 pages
Keywords
Marine Biology, High energy windows