Laboratory experiments on the effects of a gastropod (Hydrobia totteni) on survival of an infaunal deposit-feeding polychaete (Capitella capitata)

Abstract

Many species which quickly colonize newly disturbed patches have the potential for rapid reproduction and show broad physiological tolerances. Often these species are uncommon in older patches and it is thought that predation and/or competition is the primary cause for their disappearance. As a direct test of the sensitivity of an early colonizer to other species, the effects of the snail H. totteni on the early survivorship of the polychaete C. capitata (species type I) were examined. Family effects (i.e., either maternal effects or genetic differences among females) account for most of the variation in survivorship from free-swimming larvae to 2 wk of age. If family effects are controlled, then survivorship of Capitella is always poorer in the presence of H. totteni. There are no detectable density-dependent or time-dependent effects.