sublittoral

sub·lit·to·ral

S0844400 (sŭb-lĭt′ər-əl)adj.1. a. Of or situated near the seashore.b. Of or relating to an organism living near or just below the low tide level of a shore.2. Lying between the low tide line and the edge of the continental shelf or ranging in depth to about 100 fathoms or 200 meters (660 feet).3. Of or relating to the deeper part of a lake below the area in which rooted plants grow.

sublittoral

(sʌbˈlɪtərəl) adj1. (Biology) (of marine organisms) growing, living, or situated close to the seashore: a sublittoral plant. 2. (Geological Science) of or relating to the zone between the low tide mark and 100 m depth

sub•lit•to•ral

(sʌbˈlɪt ər əl)

adj. 1. of or pertaining to the region of the ocean extending from the lowest shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf. 2. of or pertaining to the region of a lake extending from the deepest rooted plants to the end of the warmer, oxygen-rich layer of water. n. 3. a sublittoral zone or region. [1840–50]

Thesaurus

Adj.

sublittoral - of or relating to the region of the continental shelf (between the seashore and the edge of the continental shelf) or the marine organisms situated there

Sublittoral

a life zone of the sea floor limited to the continental shelf and characterized by certain flora and fauna. The sublittoral is bounded by the littoral on the landward side and by the deep-sea zone on the seaward side. The seaward boundary may shift. Between the sublittoral and deep-sea zones is a transitional horizon situated at depths varying from 200 to 500–1,000 m in different parts of the ocean; characterized by a mixture of fauna, this zone is called the pseudoabyssal, profundal, and archi-benthic by different authors. The sublittoral is often bounded only by the zone of distribution of benthic plants at depths of 40–150 m. The width of the sublittoral depends on the width of the continental shelf and ranges from a few kilometers to hundreds of kilometers.

The sublittoral, biologically the most productive zone of the sea, has an extraordinarily abundant and diverse population capable of generating hundreds and thousands of grams of living matter per square meter. Significant numbers of aquatic plants, especially flowering plants, as well as corals (in the tropics), are usually limited to the upper horizon of the sublittoral. Animals predominate at greater depths; echinoderms, mollusks, worms, and crustaceans are especially numerous. The major commercial supplies of marine benthic fish, invertebrates, and plants are concentrated in the sublittoral.

N. G. VINOGRADOVA