Feeding in Flow: The Impact of Waves on Predator-prey Interactions in the Rocky Intertidal

Dr. Eve Robinson 
UC Berkeley 

A common sight for visitors to the rocky beaches on the Pacific Coast is the large colonies of sea anemones clinging to the rocks. How do these creatures, which look like plants but are really animals, manage to catch the zooplankton that swim by – the prey that the anemone, as predator, must catch in order to survive? In this presentation, Dr. Eve Robinson, currently a California State Sea Grant Fellow, shares the results of her research in both British Columbia, Canada, and in Sonoma County, California. She explains that many factors impact the capture of prey by anemones, including the type of site, neighboring predators, and the wave/flow environment, including the changing tides. 

Recorded: February 7, 2014