Benthic Community
Definition
Organisms associated with the bottom environment, whose members may predate a body’s arrival. Some may encounter remains after spending part of their development in surrounding sediment or other substrates. Their age or presence does not by itself date the body’s arrival.
- Context
- Aquatic habitat
For example, bottom-dwelling organisms sampled beside a body can help describe the surrounding habitat without showing that they developed on the body.
Background ecology and the actual resource association matter.
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