Population ecology of two simpatric polychaetes, Lepidonotus squamatus and Harmothoe imbricata (Polychaeta, Polynoidae), in the White Sea

Abstract

Under the critical environmental conditions of the White Sea, Lepidonotus squamatus and Harmothoe imbricata coexist in the same habitat, often showing recurrent alternations in dominance. L. squamatus is a long-living, slow growing broadcast spawner, while H. imbricata is a short-living and quick growing species, with complex reproductive behaviour. These different life strategies may allow them to respond in a different way to the environmental limitations of the study site, this likely being the most appropriate explanation to the observed alternation in dominance.