Ecology Summary - Obelia dichotoma

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Ecology of Obelia dichotoma

Main Ref.	Migotto, A.E., A.C. Marques, A.C. Morandini and F.L. da Silveira, 2002
Remarks	Colonial (Ref. 19). Known from mangroves (Ref. 86642), tidal inlets, sheltered areas of bays, exposed areas of bays, including any ledges at their entrance, sounds, caves, still-water areas of anchialine ponds, shallow reefs, shallow coastal benthic habitats (< 25 m), deeper coastal substrates (25- 100m) of the offshore fore-reef slope and surface or near surface water layers, including porpitids and the halopelagic Sargassum sp. fauna (Ref. 86643). Also found in Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, in patch reefs, mangrove islands, Thalassia sp. beds, sand trough, outer ridge and fore-reef slopes on Thalassia sp. beds, mangrove roots, floating Sargassum sp. and substrates composed of dead corals and gorgonians at depths of 0.2 to 31 m ) (Ref. 87156). It is found mainly on hard substrates, wood, ropes, dead gorgonians and smaller colonies are epizoic to Symplectoscyphus spp., Bougainvillia muscus, Sertularella polyzonias, Hybocodon chilensis (Ref. 87801). As with other hydroids, this species exhibits a pelagic medusoid stage (Ref. 87156). Benthic suspension feeder. Feeds mainly on fecal pellets, organic matter, microalgae, and some zooplankton (Ref. 116236).

Main Ref.

Migotto, A.E., A.C. Marques, A.C. Morandini and F.L. da Silveira, 2002

Remarks

Colonial (Ref. 19). Known from mangroves (Ref. 86642), tidal inlets, sheltered areas of bays, exposed areas of bays, including any ledges at their entrance, sounds, caves, still-water areas of anchialine ponds, shallow reefs, shallow coastal benthic habitats (< 25 m), deeper coastal substrates (25- 100m) of the offshore fore-reef slope and surface or near surface water layers, including porpitids and the halopelagic Sargassum sp. fauna (Ref. 86643). Also found in Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, in patch reefs, mangrove islands, Thalassia sp. beds, sand trough, outer ridge and fore-reef slopes on Thalassia sp. beds, mangrove roots, floating Sargassum sp. and substrates composed of dead corals and gorgonians at depths of 0.2 to 31 m ) (Ref. 87156). It is found mainly on hard substrates, wood, ropes, dead gorgonians and smaller colonies are epizoic to Symplectoscyphus spp., Bougainvillia muscus, Sertularella polyzonias, Hybocodon chilensis (Ref. 87801). As with other hydroids, this species exhibits a pelagic medusoid stage (Ref. 87156). Benthic suspension feeder. Feeds mainly on fecal pellets, organic matter, microalgae, and some zooplankton (Ref. 116236).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Obelia dichotoma may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Benthic: sessile; Hard Bottom: rubble;
Substrate Ref.	Spracklin, B.W., 1982
Special habitats	Beds: algae/seaweed; Coral Reefs: reef slope/drop-offs; lagoons; Other habitats: vegetation ( leaves, roots/holdfast, driftwood ); other invertebrates (dead gorgonians and epizoic to Symplectoscyphus spp., Bougainvillia muscus, Sertularella polyzonias, Hybocodon chilensis (Ref. 87801).);
Special habitats Ref.	Spracklin, B.W., 1982

Associations

Ref.	Migotto, A.E., A.C. Marques, A.C. Morandini and F.L. da Silveira, 2002
Associations	colony-forming/symphorism;
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type	plants/detritus+animals (troph. 2.2-2.79)
Feeding type Ref.	Orejas, C., S. Rossi, A. Peralba, E. García, J.M. Gili and H. Lippert, 2013
Feeding habit	filtering plankton
Feeding habit Ref.	Orejas, C., S. Rossi, A. Peralba, E. García, J.M. Gili and H. Lippert, 2013

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	original sample		unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition
From individual food items	2.46	0.23			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.

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