TY - JOUR
AU - Rex, M A
AB -  The deep sea is the part of the World Ocean below the continental shelves. Covering nearly two thirds of the earth's surface, it is by far the most extensive ecosystem on our planet; yet our awareness of even the existence of a deep-sea fauna is remarkably recent. It is scarcely a century since the Challenger expedition (1872-1876) established the presence of a deep-sea benthos throughout the oceans, refuting the concept that the great depths were devoid of life. The results of 19th and early 20th century dredging attempts gave the impression of a depauperate and archaic fauna (7,21,123, 124). It was widely assumed that the frigid temperatures, extreme hydro­ static pressures, absence of sunlight, and nutrient-poor sediments of the deep sea created an adverse environment where life for the inhabitants must be precarious at best. Only within the past two decades has the view of an impoverished deep­ sea fauna been rejected. The development and use of more effective sam­ pling methods (43,44, 94), photographic reconnaissance (31,50,87),direct observation using deep-sea submersibles (4, 12,41),and in situ experimen­ tal approaches (28, 52, 104, 113) have revealed a highly diverse benthic community and an astonishing variety of adaptations. Moreover, it has 
TI - Community Structure in the Deep-Sea Benthos
JF - Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics
DO - 10.1146/annurev.es.12.110181.001555
DA - 1981-11-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/annual-reviews/community-structure-in-the-deep-sea-benthos-IdgitZtRBL
SP - 331
EP - 353
VL - 12
IS - 1
DP - DeepDyve
ER -