ABSTRACT
Benthic marine communities are composed of a diversity of species belonging to different taxa that live in association with the sea bottom. They can be partially or totally buried in the sediment, adhered to the bottom or move without departing too much from the substrate. Depending upon their association with substrate type (hard/soft) and depth, these communities settle and develop in a broad range of areas, from the high tide line to the bottom of the deep ocean trench. Benthic species are important for a variety of reasons:
• Although the best-known reefs are generated by corals, the skeletal remains of species like molluscs, echinoderms, polychaetes and other invertebrates are also used in reef-building (Kirtley 1968). These biogenic constructions are considered local hotspots of biodiversity: they function as important spawning, nursery, breeding and feeding areas for a multitude of organisms and provide refuge and substrate to an array of organisms including invertebrates and fi shes (Kirtley 1968, Nelson and Demetriades 1992, Lindeman and Snyder 1999, Moberg and Folke 1999).
