Importance of predatory infauna in marine soft-sediment communities

Abstract

Ambrose (1984a) suggested that a 3-way interactive model should be applied to marine infaunal communities having the levels of epibenthic predators, predatory infauna and nonpredatory infauna. It is shown that the 3-level interactive model incorporates the implicit, unstated assumption that epibenthic predators preferentially prey on predatory infauna. A review of the literature reveals that this assumption is not true. The assumption of predatory infauna being more susceptible to epibenthic predation is challenged. Reanalysis of the caging studies analyzed by Ambrose with a more rigorous and conservative classification of predatory and nonpredatory infauna provides no support for the proposed model. The application of the proposed 3-level interactive model to marine infaunal communities is not justified.