What Is the Importance of a Sea Lily in the Food Web?
Sea lilies, which live around 14,000 feet below the ocean's surface, are related to animals like sea urchins and starfish. A sea lily's main function in the food web is as a bottom feeder; it feeds on decomposing matter floating around in the water.
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Predators
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It's hard to know exactly what eats a sea lily, because they live so deep under the ocean--but recent studies suggest that a sea lily's main predator is the sea urchin.
Plankton
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Plankton are microscopic plants and animals that typically live at the surface of the water. When they die and sink to the bottom of the oceans, the sea lily fishes them out with its feathery arms and eats them.
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Decomposing Animals
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When animals in the ocean die and are scavenged upon, tiny bits of them float down to the bottom of the ocean. The sea lily eats these tiny bits.
Decomposing Plants
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As with animals, plants break apart as they fall to the ocean floor below. They provide another food source for sea lilies.
Waste
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Sea lilies also eat the waste of fish and marine mammals.
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References
- Photo Credit yellow and brown sea lily close-up. similan islands image by Olga Khoroshunova from Fotolia.com
