Abstract
Benthic communities depend on receiving much of their food from the water column. While sinking, particles are transformed in a discontinuous process and are temporally retained in transitional physical structures, which act as boundaries and contribute to their further transformation. Motile organisms are well-acquainted with boundaries. The number, width and placement of boundaries are related to the degree of particle degradation or transformation. Progressively deepening within each boundary, particles are degraded according to their residence time in the discontinuity and the activity of the organisms temporarily inhabiting that boundary. Finally, particles reach the seafloor and represent the main food source for benthic organisms; the quality and quantity of this food have a strong impact on the development of benthic communities. However, benthic communities not only play the role of a sink of matter: they act as an active boundary comparable to other oceanic boundaries, in accordance with the boundary concept proposed by the ecologist Ramon Margalef.
Highlights
The legacy of important scientists in ecology has not always been recognized by younger generations
Lesser-known contributions by a renowned ecologist may be overshadowed by their better-known ones and remain understudied and often unexplored
We find examples of this in many of the ideas proposed by Ramon Margalef, which are overshadowed by his renowned work related to phytoplankton ecology (Prat 2015, Prat et al 2015)
Summary
The legacy of important scientists in ecology has not always been recognized by younger generations. Due to friction between the seafloor and water, the currents near the bottom slow down, and so does the transport of particles This mechanism enhances the concentration of organisms approaching the bottom to feed (Berasategui et al 2006, Gili et al 2006). Transforming them in a way similar to how zooplankton does in the water column, sessile benthic organisms contribute with their metabolic activity to the microbial loop near the bottom, releasing nutrients which may be used by microbial communities (Lovvorn et al 2005). The benthos acts as an interface, a biotic layer between the water and the substrate This concept of an active boundary is in accordance with the boundary theory proposed by Margalef. Benthic communities could be considered as ergoclines, in which physical and biological processes interact energetically and the transfer of matter occurs at different spatial and temporal scales, as it does in water column boundaries
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