What lies at the bottom of the ocean floor or on the sediments of a lakebed? The benthic zone, or the lowest level of water, is home to unique organisms that thrive on the substrate.
Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous are scarce in headwater streams. When insects emerge from these streams...
Much of the benthos is a mystery. Of the estimated 5% of the ocean that has been explored, the ocean floor makes up an even tinier fraction. The organisms that call the seafloor home are often some of the most primitive and unknown, and in the deepest parts are specially adapted to extreme environments including high pressure, low oxygen, and lack of light. The term benthos also applies to other ecosystems such as the bottoms of more shallow tide pools, and freshwater bodies such as lakes and rivers, and these can be just as elusive and unique.
We are accepting proposals for projects working in the benthos, to launch campaigns in December. A few questions we are curious about:
Project submissions are not limited to these topics!
Examples of past successfully-funded Experiment projects working in the benthos:
Recent climate change and foraminifera populations on Greenland's continental shelf
Assessing oyster restoration using morphological records and next-generation sequencing
A colorful world: Signaling in mantis shrimp
Wood: Is It What's For Dinner?
Eating tough stuff with floppy jaws - how do freshwater rays eat crabs, insects, and mollusks?
Please watch our call for proposals before you start! This short 3-minute introduction video goes over the process of how crowdfunding on Experiment works: