Challenges in marine, soft-sediment benthoscape ecology

In this paper I address three sets of challenges that face ecologists who are studying soft-sediment benthic landscapes (or benthoscapes). These include (a) development of technology and analytical approaches for sea floor mapping and quantifying benthoscape structure, (b) development of benthoscape ecology theory that integrates ideas from terrestrial and other marine systems, but focuses on the unique aspects of these environments, and (c) making empirical headway. Coordinated efforts in all three areas are needed to make progress in understanding soft-sediment systems, which arguably comprise the largest set of landscapes on the earth. In particular, much more work is needed in relating biotic patterns to the actual spatial structural aspects of soft-sediment benthoscapes.