Photo: North Amer. Benthological Society
See also:
Text on this page was adapted from the MD Dept Natural Resources Freshwater Benthic Invertebrates (11/2002).
Aquatic insects and other macroinvertebrates in Lake Superior Streams
Freshwater macroinvertebrates include the
aquatic insects, mites, worms, snails, and crayfish. The term
macroinvertebrate just means that they are animals without
backbones that are larger than ½ millimeter (the size
of a pencil dot). They are also often called benthic macroinvertebrates
or more simply "benthos" because they live on surfaces
like rocks, logs, sediment, debris and aquatic plants during
some period in their life.
Benthos are an important part of the food chain, especially
for fish. Many feed on algae and bacteria which are on the
lower end of the food chain. Some shred and eat leaves and
other organic matter that enters the water. Because of their
abundance and position as "middleman" in the aquatic
food chain, benthos play a critical role in the natural flow
of energy and nutrients. As benthos die, they decay, leaving
behind nutrients that are reused by aquatic plants and other
animals in the food chain.
See our Aquatic Invertebrate Identification pages to learn the habits and habitat of the different orders of benthos.
