THE FEEDING BIOLOGY OFPODARKE PUGETTENSIS(POLYCHAETA: HESIONIDAE)

Foraging and mobility in three species of Aciculata (Annelida: Polychaeta)

“…this diversity in morphology and use of habitats has led to a corresponding diversification in feeding mechanisms (amaral & nonato, 1996). polychaetes have been well studied taxonomically (Fauvel, 1923(Fauvel, , 1927hartman, 1959a, 1959b, 1963a, 1963b, 1965, 1968, 1969day, 1967a, 1967buebelacker & Johnson, 1984;blake et al, 1995, 1996amaral & nonato, 1996, among others), whereas ecologically they are still poorly understood (feeding behaviors: brenchley, 1976;Shaffer, 1979;brenchley & tidball, 1980;Mettam, 1980;dauer et al, 1981;Mattson, 1981;bell & coen, 1982;dauer, 1983, 1985, 1991pleijel, 1983;bell, 1985;peckol & baxter, 1986;Vreeland & lasker, 1989;dauer & ewing, 1991;life history: Mayer et al, 1995;Scaps, 1995;dill & Fraser, 1997). Some of their adaptations are well known, such as in the family Sabellidae whose members use their tentacular crown for filter-feeding, and the family Spionidae whose members capture food particles by keeping their palps suspended in the water.…”

On feeding and behaviour ofOphiodromus flexuosus(Delle Chiaje) andNereimyra punctata(O.F. Müller) (Polychaeta, Hesionidae)

“…However, the difference between maximum and normal feeding rates indicates that prey is limited most of the time. Shaffer (1979) found that Podarke pugettensis usually contained a number of prey specimens, but that the guts on an average were somewhat less than half filled. He noted that prey were thoroughly digested, presumably to obtain maximum nutrient extraction from a limited food supply.…”

“…Both species feed on the bottom and in the upper bottom mud, but the food is not restricted to benthic organisms since planktonic forms are also taken when present close to the bottom. The food is generally similar to that of the Pacific hesionid Podarke pugettensis, which in Puget Sound preys on harpacticoid copepods and a variety of small polychaetes (Shaffer 1979).…”

“…In the experiments dead animals were rapidly located and ingested immediately. Scavenging also occurs in Podarke pugettensis (Shaffer 1979) and is known among other benthic polychaete carnivores such as polynoids, phyllodoeids and onuphids (Sarvala 1971, Emson 1977, Fauchald & Jumars 1979.…”

“…They have been considered to be carnivores (Hartmann-Schroder 1971, Fauchald & Jumars 1979 or carnivores and surface deposit feeders (Pearson 1971), but actual information about their food is too scarce to make any generalizations. In a recent work, however, Shaffer (1979) found that Downloaded by [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign] at 07:53 16 March 2015…”