Grazing of echinoderm larvae (Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula) on naturally occurring particulate matter

Abstract
Larvae (72 hr old) of P. lividus and A. lixula grazed on various suspensions of natural particulate matter with a size range of 2 to 30 microns, and on two species of algae (Phaeodactylum tricor-nutum and Nitzschia sp.) — Larvae graze most in the size range where the particle concentration is highest. — If larvae deplete certain size categories of particles they then graze other size ranges in which the concentration is still high. — The grazing rate of the two species varied between 988 and 91.949 μm3 per pluteus per hour. — For A. lixula larvae the grazing rate increases with increasing temperature to a maximum at 22°C.

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