A Classification of Hypersaline Waters, Based on Trophic Criteria

A classification of hypersaline waters is proposed on the basis of the food chain structure of their biota. Four steps of increasing salinity and respective shortening of the food-chains are recognized, respectively named: alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-hypersaline waters. Some general aspects, dealing with cosmopolitism of the biota, production, competition and benthic ecology in hypersaline waters are discussed. The relevance of ecological studies in hypersaline waters to theoretical ecology and to the new technological uses of saline waters is briefly mentioned.