Geology 105 - Paleontology
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Ecology of Marine Invertebrates:


Feeding:

Feeding Type

Explanation

Example
(compared to terrestrial animals)
predators hunters (Many marine predators are also scavengers) terrestrial - lion
marine - shark
scavengers eat dead things terrestrial - vulture
marine - crabs
grazers eat plant material, usually algae terrestrial - cattle
marine - snail
filter feeders filter sea water for organic particles, eat them terrestrial - no such niche
marine - clams
deposit feeders ingest sediment, digest organic material, excrete the rest terrestrial - earth worm
marine - sand dollars

Life Habit

 

Name

 

Lives Where?


Example:

lives in water column:
planktonic float forams, krill
nektonic swim fish
lives at bottom (benthic):
epifauna lives on bottom crab
infauna lives in bottom clam