Comparative Foraging Behavior of Tropical and Boreal Sea Urchins

Abstract

Sea urchins are important structuring forces in marine ecosystems. They control the abundance and distribution of algae (Jones and Kain 1967; Dayton 1975; Pearse and Hines 1979) and influence the life form and species diversity of benthic assemblages (Paine and Vadas 1969; Sammarco et al. 1974; Vance 1979). Sea urchins primarily occupy hard substrates, although several species regularly inhabit seagrass communities. Here, too, they can influence plant assemblages (Ogden et al. 1973b). They also control epifaunal invertebrate communities (Guida 1976;Sammarco 1980; Ayling 1981; Briscoe and Sebens 1988).