biological collecting

Various organisms inhabiting the ocean are collected for the purpose of research on the physiology and ecology of marine organisms, surveys of fishery resources, and clarification of the material circulation system via biological pumps. As shown in Figure 1, marine organisms are classified into three categories according to their mode of life: surface organisms (Neuston) that live above and below the ocean surface, organisms drifting in the ocean (plankton), swimmers (Nekton) that can swim freely and move by themselves, and benthic organisms (Benthos) that live on the sea floor or in sediment, each of which uses specific collecting tools.

Fig. 1 Classification of marine organisms by mode of life

海面: sea surface 水中: underwater 海底: bottom of the sea