TIDE BITS: Benthic

The benthos is the floor of a sea or lake. Many organisms are specialists in benthic environments, living on, in or attached to the bottom. Here, in the Gulf of California, we have sandy, muddy and rocky bottoms, each with its unique assemblage of species.  The least common, and most diverse of these three habitats are rocky reefs. These reefs are formed either of basalt, a volcanic rock, or coquina, a sedimentary rock formed form decomposing materials, shells, rocks and sand. Rocky reefs give algae, tunicates, sponges a firm place to attach.