Editing Meiobenthos (section)

{{short description|Group of marine and fresh water organisms defined by their small size}}
{{benthos sidebar|size}}

'''Meiobenthos''', also called '''meiofauna''', are small [[benthos|benthic]] [[invertebrate]]s that live in [[Marine environment|marine]] or [[Freshwater habitat|freshwater environments]], or both. The term ''meiofauna'' loosely defines a group of organisms by their size{{Em dash}}larger than [[microfauna]] but smaller than [[macrofauna]]{{Em dash}}rather than by their [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]]. This fauna includes both animals that turn into macrofauna later in life, and those small enough to belong to the meiobenthos their entire life. In marine environments there can be thousands of individuals in 10 cubic centimeters of sediment, and counts animals like nematodes, [[Copepod|copepods]], [[Rotifer|rotifers]], tardigrades and [[Ostracod|ostracods]], but protists like ciliates and foraminifers within the size range of the meiobenthos are also often included. In practice, the term usually includes organisms that can pass through a 1&nbsp;mm mesh but are retained by a 45&nbsp;μm mesh, though exact dimensions may vary.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=oKQPBQAAQBAJ&dq=meiobenthos+10+cm3+of+sediment&pg=PA58 Sedimentary Coastal Zones from High to Low Latitudes: Similarities and Differences]</ref> Whether an organism will pass through a 1&nbsp;mm mesh also depends upon whether it is alive or dead at the time of sorting.

The terms ''meiobenthos''  and ''meiofauna'' were first coined and defined in 1942 by marine biologist [[Molly Mare]],<ref>{{Cite Q|Q56043976}}</ref> with both terms being derived from the Greek “μείων” (''méio'' - "less"). However, organisms that fit into the modern meiofauna category have been studied since the 18th century.