178
N. A . HOLME
Since the second World War t>here has been some revival of interest
in the benthos, perhaps the main concern being to more adequately
investigate its r6le in production in the sea (e.g. Raymont, 1947, 1950 ;
Sanders, 1966, 1960 : Birkett, 1959 ; Longhurst, 1959b ; McIntyre,
1961). It has often been emphasized that the biomass alone is a poor
measure of production, and since most of the surveys have necessarily
been only of " standing crop " we are still far from being able to assess
the significance of thc benthos in the food-cycles in the open sea.
Other studies have been carried out on the distribution of particular
species in relation to the type of sediment (e.g. Holme, 1954; Sanders,
1966, 1958, 1960; Webb and Hill, 1958; Wieser, 1966, 1959), and to
hydrographic and climatic factors (e.g. Blacker, 1967 ; Ursin, 1960;
Holme, 1061 ; and Chamberlin and Stearns, 1963). New fields have
been opened up in the study of micro- and meio-faunas, but these are
as yet mainly devoted to systematic studies, apart from the comprehensive survey of a marine mud by Mare (1942), and some ecological
work by Wieser (1960) and McIntyre (1961) on meio-faunas.
Mention must also be made of the Galathea deep-sea expedition
of 1950-52 in which grab hauls were made in the deep oceans (Sparck,
1961, 1966), and of the large amount of grab sampling, sometimes in
deep water, being carried out by Soviet scientists (e.g. Beliaev and
Ushakov, 1067 ; Beliaev, 1962, with reference to IGY ; general account
in Zenkewitch, 1963).
During this period somc improvements in the techniques of sampling have been made, both in the mechanics of obtaining the sample,
its subsequent treatment on board ship, and in statistical analyses of
the results. It is doubtful, however, if the statistical treatments which
have been used to measure, for example, the degree of difjpersion
(patchiness) of the fauna would have been made if their authors had
been able to observe their samplers at work on the sea bed, and it
must be admitted that the point at which there is still greatest room
for improvement is in the actual collection of bottom samples at wa.
IV. BENTHOS-SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
It is not the purposc of this review to describe or even necessarily
mention all the many and varied instruments which have been used
for sanipling the sea bed. When working in soft muddy deposits in
lochs arid fiords, equipment designed for use in fresh water has often
been employed, and such appsratus has been well described elsewhere
(for references see Thorson, 1957a, p. 67). A number of reviews of
marine bottom-sampling gear have appeared (e.g. Hough, 1939 ;
Holme, 1951; Barnes, 1959b), the most complete being that in the
N. A . HOLME
Since the second World War t>here has been some revival of interest
in the benthos, perhaps the main concern being to more adequately
investigate its r6le in production in the sea (e.g. Raymont, 1947, 1950 ;
Sanders, 1966, 1960 : Birkett, 1959 ; Longhurst, 1959b ; McIntyre,
1961). It has often been emphasized that the biomass alone is a poor
measure of production, and since most of the surveys have necessarily
been only of " standing crop " we are still far from being able to assess
the significance of thc benthos in the food-cycles in the open sea.
Other studies have been carried out on the distribution of particular
species in relation to the type of sediment (e.g. Holme, 1954; Sanders,
1966, 1958, 1960; Webb and Hill, 1958; Wieser, 1966, 1959), and to
hydrographic and climatic factors (e.g. Blacker, 1967 ; Ursin, 1960;
Holme, 1061 ; and Chamberlin and Stearns, 1963). New fields have
been opened up in the study of micro- and meio-faunas, but these are
as yet mainly devoted to systematic studies, apart from the comprehensive survey of a marine mud by Mare (1942), and some ecological
work by Wieser (1960) and McIntyre (1961) on meio-faunas.
Mention must also be made of the Galathea deep-sea expedition
of 1950-52 in which grab hauls were made in the deep oceans (Sparck,
1961, 1966), and of the large amount of grab sampling, sometimes in
deep water, being carried out by Soviet scientists (e.g. Beliaev and
Ushakov, 1067 ; Beliaev, 1962, with reference to IGY ; general account
in Zenkewitch, 1963).
During this period somc improvements in the techniques of sampling have been made, both in the mechanics of obtaining the sample,
its subsequent treatment on board ship, and in statistical analyses of
the results. It is doubtful, however, if the statistical treatments which
have been used to measure, for example, the degree of difjpersion
(patchiness) of the fauna would have been made if their authors had
been able to observe their samplers at work on the sea bed, and it
must be admitted that the point at which there is still greatest room
for improvement is in the actual collection of bottom samples at wa.
IV. BENTHOS-SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
It is not the purposc of this review to describe or even necessarily
mention all the many and varied instruments which have been used
for sanipling the sea bed. When working in soft muddy deposits in
lochs arid fiords, equipment designed for use in fresh water has often
been employed, and such appsratus has been well described elsewhere
(for references see Thorson, 1957a, p. 67). A number of reviews of
marine bottom-sampling gear have appeared (e.g. Hough, 1939 ;
Holme, 1951; Barnes, 1959b), the most complete being that in the