Protection against predatorsOpisthobranchs eating hydroids which try to protect themselves with their stinging cells . Like plants, attached creatures are unable to flee from their predators. This can result in the development of a physical or chemical defence mechanism. Thorns and a hard casing can be protection enough, but poisons and bad tasting substances are also used. Certain attached organisms have such good protection, they are almost never preyed upon, but in certain cases, predators have adapted and can penetrate protective measures. This is the case when nudibranchs prey upon certain cnidarians or sea-mats. In many cases, protective measures also have a cost. To produce protective structures or chemicals demands energy and material, therefore, certain creatures develope some form of protection only when they are attacked. This is the case with certain sea-mat colonies that develope thorns within a couple of days after being attacked by a predator.
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Zoning and flecked occurrence | ||||||
Animals that are attached | ||||||
Modular construction | ||||||
Variation and change | ||||||
Variations in water level | ||||||
Wave exposure | ||||||
Both cliffs and rocks | ||||||
Freshwater and saltwater | ||||||
Geography, climate and history | ||||||
Organisms life cycles | ||||||
Organisms effect on each other | ||||||
Energy and the flow of material | ||||||