1 A header with your last name and page number 1/2 inch from the top-right of each page. 2  The entire research paper is double-spaced. 3  Your name, name of professor, course title, and due date of paper on the first page. 4  Your research paper title is centered.
Benthos are the organisms that live in the benthic zone, and are different from those elsewhere in the water column. Many are adapted to live on the substrate (bottom). In their habitats they can be considered as dominant creatures, but they are often a source of prey for Carcharhinidae such as the lemon shark.
The variety and abundance of the benthos vary with latitude, depth, water temperature and salinity, locally determined conditions such as the nature of the substrate, and ecological circumstances such as predation and competition. The principal food sources for the benthos are plankton and organic debris from land. In shallow water, larger algae are important, and, where light reaches the bottom, benthic photosynthesizing diatoms are also a significant food source.