The role of micro-organisms in the settlement of <i>Ophelia bicornis</i> Savigny

Abstract

During the course of earlier work with larvae of Ophelia bicornis Savigny it became increasingly clear that a major factor in stimulating these larvae to settle and metamorphose is the presence, on sand grains of suitable size, of living micro-organisms such as bacteria, in numbers neither too many nor too few (Wilson, 1954). It had been shown that an acid-cleaned sand (which is neutral or almost so) kept in sea water becomes increasingly attractive to these larvae with time. It had been admitted, however ( loc. cit. , p. 366), that these results were derived from a comparison of experiments not designed to this end, and that further tests, planned for the purpose, were desirable.