benthic

From benthos +‎ -ic.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛnθɪk/

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benthic (not comparable)

1. Pertaining to the benthos; living on the seafloor, as opposed to floating in the ocean.

   Synonym: benthonic

   Antonym: planktonic

   • 1878, Proceedings of the United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution Press, page 3:

     The benthic environment, except for intertidal areas, has been scarcely explored […]

   • 1974, R. H. Parker, The Study of Benthic Communities, New York: American Elsevier Publishing Company, page 191:

     As the classical approach to benthic community studies originated primarily with Danish biologists, a section is devoted to comparisons of Danish bottom communities with those obtained in Hadley Harbor.

   • 1994, Hans M. Bolli, Jean-Pierre Beckmann, John B. Saunders, Benthic Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy of the South Caribbean Region, Cambridge University Press, page 1:

     Benthic foraminifera have been used for stratigraphic purposes almost since they began to be studied systematically.

benthic (plural benthics)

1. Any organism that lives on the seafloor.

• oceanic
• pelagic
• planktonic

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