Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Faunal communities in seagrass beds: A review of the influence of plant structure and prey characteristics on predator-prey relationships

  • Published:
Estuaries Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

When compared with nearby unvergetated areas, seagrass meadows contain a dense and strikingly rich assemblage of vertebrates and invertebrates. Most recent literature has focused on evaluating the role of predation in structuring seagrass faunal communities; however, habitat complexity, abundance of food and sediment stability may also be important. This paper summarizes studies relating predator-prey relationships to different features of the seagrass system. This review suggests that the abundance of many species, both epifauna and infauna, is positively correlated with two distinct aspects of plant morphology: 1) the root-rhizome mat, and 2) the plant canopy. A scheme was developed that defines the conditions under which any particular species will be abundant or rare in a seagrass assemblage. This scheme is based on prey and predator characteristics (e.g., epifaunal vs. infaunal, tube-dweller vs. nontube dweller, burrowers vs. nonburrowers, and large vs. small as adult) and on characteristics of the seagrasses (e.g., leaf morphology, shoot density, shoot biomass, structural complexity of the meadow, and root-rhizome density and standing crop).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Adams, S. A. 1976. The ecology of eelgrass,Zostera marina (L.), fish communities. I. Structural analysys.J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 22:269–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bickerstaff, W. B., C. D. Ziebell, andW. J. Matter. 1984. Vulnerability of redbelly tilapia fry to bluegill predation with changes in cover availability.N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 4:120–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blundon, J. A., andV. S. Kennedy. 1982. Refuges for infaunal bivalves from blue crab,Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun), predation in Chesapeake Bay.J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 65:67–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brenchley, G. A. 1982. Mechanisms of spatial competition in marine soft-sediment communities.J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 60:17–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Briggs, P. T., andJ. S. O’Connor. 1971 Comparison of shore-zone fishes over naturally vegetated and sand-filled bottoms in Great South Bay.N. Y. Fish Game J. 18:15–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, J. L., andS. I. Dodson. 1965. Predation, body size, and composition of plankton.Science 150: 28–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coen, L. D., K. L. Heck, Jr., andL. G. Abele. 1981. Experiments on competition and predation among shrimps of seagrass meadows.Ecology 62:1484–1493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connell, J. H. 1972. Community interactions on marine rocky intertidal shores.Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 3:169–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowder, L. B., andW. E. Cooper. 1982. Habitat structural complexity and the interaction between bluegills and their prey.Ecology 63:1802–1813.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dayton, P. K. 1971. Competition, disturbance, and community organization: The provision and subsequent utilization of space in a rocky intertidal community.Ecol. Monogr. 41:351–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • den Hartog, C. 1970 The Seagrasses of the World. North-Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam. 275 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Endler, J. A. 1978. A predators view of animal color patterns.Evol. Biol. 12:319–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginsburg, R. N., andH. A. Lowenstam. 1958. The influence of marine bottom communities on the depositional environment of sediments.J. Geol. 66: 310–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harper, J. L. 1969. The role of predation in vegetational diversity. Diversity and stability in ecological systems. Brookhaven Symposia in Biology—No. 22, p. 48–62.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heck, K. L. Jr. 1979. Some determinants of the composition and abundance of motile macroinvertebrate species in tropical and temperate turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) meadows.J. Biogeogr. 6:183–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heck, K. L., Jr., andR. J. Orth. 1980a. Seagrass habitats: The roles of habitat complexity, competition and predation in structuring associated fish and motile macroinvertebrate assemblages, p. 449–464.In V. S. Kennedy (ed.), Estuarine Perspectives. Academic Press, Inc., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heck, K. L., Jr., andR. J. Orth. 1980b. Structural components of eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows in the lower Chesapeake Bay—Decapod crustacea.Estuaries 3:289–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heck, K. L., Jr., andT. Thoman. 1981. Experiments on predator-prey interactions in vegetated aquatic habitiats.J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 53:125–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heck, K. L., Jr., andG. S. Westone. 1977. Habitat complexity and invertebrate species richness, and abundance in tropical seagrass meadows.J. Biogeorg. 4:135–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holt, S. A., C. L. Kitting, andC. R. Arnold. 1983. Distribution of young red drums among different sea-grass meadows.Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 112:267–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Homziak, J., M. S. Fonseca, andW. J. Kenworthy. 1982. Macrobenthic community structure in a transplanted eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadow.Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 9:211–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huffaker, C. B. 1958. Experimental studies on predation: dispersion factors and predator-prey oscillations.Hilgardia 27:343–383.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kikuchi, T. 1980. Faunal relationships in temperate seagrass beds, p. 153–172.In R. C. Phillips and C. P. McRoy (eds.), Handbook of Seagrass Biology: An Ecosystem Perspective. Garland STPM Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kikuchi, T., andJ. M. Peres. 1977. Consumer ecology of seagrass beds, p. 147–194.In C. P. McRoy and C. Helfferich (eds.), Seagrass Ecosystems: A Scientific Perspective. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, F. G., andA. W. Stoner. 1983. Distribution of macrofauna within seagrass beds: An explanation for patterns of abundance.Bull. Mar. Sci. 33:296–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, G. A. 1973. TheZostera epifaunal community in the York River, Virginia.Chesapeake Sci. 14:87–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mittelbach, G. G. 1981. Foraging efficiency and body size: a study of optimal diet and habitat use by bluegills.Ecology 62:1370–1386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mittelbach, G. G. 1983 Optimal foraging and growth in bluegills.Oecologia 59: 157–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, W. G. 1979a. Experimental studies of selective predation on amphipods: consequences for amphipod distribution and abundance.J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 38:225–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, W. G. 1979b. An analysis of structural pattern in an eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) amphipod community.J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 39:231–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, W. G. 1980. The biology of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) amphipods.Crustaceana 39:59–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, W. G. 1981a. Experimental studies of decapod and fish predation on seagrass macrobenthos.Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 5:141–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, W. G. 1981b. The role of predation by decapod crustaceans in seagrass ecosystems.Kiel. Meeresforsch, Sonderh. 5:529–536.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogden, J. C. 1980. Faunal relationships in Caribbean seagrass beds, p. 173–198.In R. C. Phillips and C. P. McRoy (eds.), Handbook of Seagrass Biology: An Ecosystem Perspective, Garland STPM Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orth R. J. 1971. The effec of turtle grass,Thalassia testudinum, on the benthic infauna community structure in Bermuda. Bermuda Biological Station Special Report No. 9:18–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orth, R. J. 1973. Benthic infauna of eelgrass,Zostera marina, beds.Chesapeake Sci. 14:258–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orth, R. J. 1975. Destruction of eelgrass,Zostera marina, by the cownose ray,Rhinoptera bonasus, in the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia.Chesapeake Sci. 16: 205–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orth, R. J. 1977. The importance of sediment stability in seagrass communities, p. 281–300.In B. C. Coull (ed.), Ecology of Marine Benthos. Univ. of South Carolina Press, Columbia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orth, R. J., andK. L. Heck, Jr. 1980. Structural components of eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows in the lower Chesapeake Bay—fishes.Estuaries 3: 278–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orth, R. J., and J. Van Montfrans. 1982. Preadatorprey interactions in aZostera marina ecosystem in the lower Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, p. 81–94.In R. J. Orth and J. van Montfrans (eds.) Interactions of Resident Consumers in a Temperate Estuarine Seagrass Community: Vaucluse Shores, Virginia, USA. VIMS-SRAMSOE 267. 231 p.

  • Paine, R. T. 1966. Food web complexity and species diversity.Am. Nat. 100:65–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patriquin, D. G. 1975. “Migration” of blowouts in seagrass beds at Barbados and Carriacou, West Indies, and its ecological and geological implications.Aquat. Bot. 1:163–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, C. G. L. 1913. Valuation of the sea. II. The animal communities of the sea bottom and their importance for marine zoogeography.Rep. Danish Biol. Stat. 21:1–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, C. G. L. 1918. The sea bottom and its production of fish foods; a survey of the work done in connection with valuation of Danish waters from 1883–1917.Rep. Danish Biol. Stat. 25:1–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C. H. 1979. Predation, competitive exclusion, and diversity in the soft-sediment benthic communities of estuaries and laggons. p. 223–264.In R. J. Livingston (ed.), Ecological Processes In Coastal and Marine Systems. Plenum Publishing Corp. New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C. H. 1982. Clam predation by whelks (Busycon spp.): Experimental tests of the importance of prey size, prey density, and seagrass cover.Mar. Biol. 66:159–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C. H., andM. L. Quammen. 1982. Siphon nipping: Its importance to small fishes and its impact on growth of the bivalveProtothaca staminea (Conrad).J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 63:249–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C. H., H. C. Summerson, andP. B. Duncan. 1984. The influence of seagrass cover on population structure and individual growth rate of a suspension feeding bivalve,Mercenaria mercenaria.J. Mar. Res. 42:123–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poore, G. C. B. 1982. Benthic communities of the Gippsland Lakes, Victoria.Aust. J. Mar. Freshw. Res. 33:901–915.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reise, K. 1977. Predator exclusion experiments in an intertidal mudflat.Helg. Wiss. Meeresunters. 30: 263–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reise, K. 1978. Experiments on epibenthic predation in the Wadden Sea.Helg. Wiss. Meeresunters. 31: 55–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhoads, D. C., andD. K. Young. 1970. The influence of deposit-feeding organisms on sediment stability and community trophic structure.J. Mar. Res. 28:150–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, A. I., andR. K. Howard. 1978. Diel trophic interactions between vertically migrating zooplankton and their fish predators in an eelgrass community.Mar. Biol. 48:207–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, H. L. 1958. Benthic studies in Buzzards Bay I: Animal-sediment relationships.Limnol. Oceanogr. 3:245–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, H. L. 1960. Benthic studies in Buzzards Bay III: Structure of soft-bottom communities.Limnol. Oceanogr. 5:138–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos, S. L., andJ. L. Simon. 1974. Distribution and abundance of the polychaetous annelids in a south Florida estuary.Bull. Mar. Sci. 24:669–689.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savino, J. F., andR. A. Stein. 1982. Predator-prey interactions between largemouth bass and bluegills as influenced by simulated, submersed vegetation.Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 111:255–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scoffin, T. P. 1970. The trapping and binding of subtidal carbonate sediments by marine vegetation in Bimini Lagoon, Bahamas.J. Sediment. Petrol. 40: 249–273.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoner, A. W. 1979. The trapping and binding of subtidal carbonate sediments by marine vegetation in Bimini Lagoon, Bahamas.J. Sediment. Petrol. 40: 249–273.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoner, A. W. 1979. Species-specific predation on amphipod crustacea by the pinfishLagodon rhomboides: mediation by macrophyte standing crop.Mar. Biol. 55:201–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoner, A. W. 1980a. Perception and choice of substratum by epifaunal amphipods associated with seagrasses.Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 3:105–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoner, A. W. 1980b. The role of seagrass biomass in the organization, of benthic macrofaunal assemblages.Bull. Mar. Sci. 30:537–551.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoner, A. W. 1980c. Abundance, reproductive seasonality and habitat preferences of amphipod crustaceans in seagrass meadows of Apalachee Bay, Florida.Contrib. Mar. Sci., Univ. of Texas. 23:63–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoner, A. W. 1982. The influence of benthic macrophytes on the foraging behavior of pinfish,Lagodon rhomboides (Linnaeus).J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 58:271–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoner, A. W. 1983. Distributional ecology of amphipods and tanaidaceans associated with three sea grass species.J. Crust. Biol. 3:505–518.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Summerson, H. C., andC. H. Peterson. 1984. Role of predation in organizing benthic communities of a temperate-zone seagrass bed.Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 15:63–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thayer, G. W., S. M. Adams, andM. W. LaCroix. 1975. Structural and functional aspects of a recently establishedZostera marina community.Estuarine Res. 1:518–540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Virnstein, R. W. 1977. The importance of predation by crabs and fishes on benthic fauna in Chesapeake Bay.Ecology 58:1199–1217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Virnstein, R. W. 1979. Predation on estuarine infauna: Response patterns of component species.Estuaries 2:69–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Virnstein, R. W., P. S. Mikkelson, K. D. Cairns, andM. A. Capone. 1983. Seagrass beds versus sand bottoms: The trophic importance of their associated benthic invertebrates.Fla. Sci. 46:363–381.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werner, E. E., G. G. Mittelbach, D. J. Hall, andJ. F. Gilliam. 1983a. Experimental tests of optimal habitat use in fish: The role of relative habitat profitability.Ecology 64:1525–1539.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werner, E. E., J. F. Gilliam, D. J. Hall, andG. G. Mittelbach. 1983b. An experimental test of the effects of predation risk on habitat use in fish.Ecology 64:1540–1548.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, E. J. F., W. E. Odum, and J. Zieman. 1969. Influence of seagrasses on the productivity of coastal lagoons. Lagunas Costeras, un Simposio. Mem. Simp. Intern. Lagunas Costeras. UNAMUNESCO. 1967, p. 495–502.

  • Woodin, S. A. 1974. Polychaete abundance patterns in a marine soft-sediment environment: the importance of biological interactions.Ecol. Monogr. 44: 171–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodin, S. A. 1976. Adult-larval interactions in dense infaunal assemblages: patterns of abundance.J. Mar. Res. 34:25–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, D. K., andM. W. Young. 1977. Community structure of the macrobenthos associated with seagrass of the Indian River, Florida, p. 359–382.In B. C. Coull (ed.), Ecology of Marine Benthos. Univ. of South Carolina Press, Columbia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, D. K., andM. W. Young. 1978. Regulation of species densities of seagrass-associated macrobenthos: Evidence from field experiments in the Indian River estuary, Florida.J. Mar. Res. 36:569–593.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, D. K., and M. W. Young. 1982. Macrobenthic invertebrates in bare sand and seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, p. 115–126.In K. Rutzler and I. G. Macintyre (eds), The Atlantic Barrier Reef Ecosystem at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, 1. Structure and communities. Smithsonian Contrib. to Mar. Sci. Vol. 12.

  • Zieman, J. C. 1982. The ecology of the seagrasses of South Florida: a community profile. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Office of Biological Services, Wash., D.C. FWS/OBS-82/25. 158 p.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Institute of Marine Science School of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, 23062, Gloucester Point, Virginia

    Robert J. Orth & Jacques van Montfrans

  2. Patrick Center for Environmental Research, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Nineteenth and the Parkway, 19103, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Kenneth L. Heck

Authors
  1. Robert J. Orth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kenneth L. Heck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jacques van Montfrans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Contribution No. 1105 from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, Virginia.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Orth, R.J., Heck, K.L. & van Montfrans, J. Faunal communities in seagrass beds: A review of the influence of plant structure and prey characteristics on predator-prey relationships. Estuaries 7, 339–350 (1984). https://doi.org/10.2307/1351618

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1351618

Keywords

Search

Navigation