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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Quantifying Bivalve Suspension Feeding at Sea

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Quantifying Bivalve Suspension Feeding at Sea

Published on: September 5, 2018

Supply-side ecology and benthic marine assemblages.

A J Underwood¹, P G Fairweather

¹Institute of Marine Ecology, Zoology Building, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

|January 14, 2011

Summary

Marine invertebrate populations vary due to unpredictable planktonic larval stages. Understanding recruitment variability is crucial for marine ecology and population dynamics research.

Area of Science:

Marine Biology
Ecology
Population Dynamics

Background:

Many marine invertebrates exhibit a planktonic larval stage, critical for dispersal but associated with high mortality.
Recruitment into adult habitats is highly variable in both time and space due to factors during the planktonic phase.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the significance of recruitment variability in marine benthic assemblages.
To introduce and explain the concept of supply-side ecology.

Main Methods:

This study is primarily theoretical, reviewing existing ecological models and concepts.
It synthesizes current understanding of marine invertebrate life histories and population dynamics.

Main Results:

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Design and Use of an Apparatus for Quantifying Bivalve Suspension Feeding at Sea

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Traditional models often overlook the impact of variable recruitment, focusing instead on mortality.

Variations in larval supply significantly influence the structure and dynamics of benthic communities.

Conclusions:

Supply-side ecology offers a framework to understand the consequences of recruitment variability.
Incorporating recruitment dynamics is essential for accurate ecological theory and empirical research in marine systems.