Lower Food Web

The lower food web includes the benthic and planktonic communities.

• The benthos are plants and animals that live at the bottom of the Bay, including worms, shellfish and bottom-feeding fish.
• Plankton are free-floating, often microscopic plants and animals that live in the water column. The plankton community includes phytoplankton (algae), zooplankton (tiny animals) and bacteria.

Why is the lower food web important to the Bay?

The entire lower food web—both the benthic and planktonic communities—are important indicators of the health of the Bay.

• Phytoplankton are primary producers, and are known to respond directly to nutrient over-enrichment in the water column.
• Benthos and zooplankton are vulnerable to the stresses associated with chemical contaminants, excess nutrients, low dissolved oxygen and high sediment concentrations.
• Bay scientists analyze the benthic and planktonic communities' interactions with higher trophic levels to help assess the status of and trends in habitat and water quality.