Abstract
Along the southern California coast the vermetid gastropod Serpulorbis squamigerus (Carpenter) frequently recruits onto encrusting cheilostome bryozoans. On experimental substrates 93% of 599 individuals observed recruited onto either the five dominant cheilostome species or the shells of resident juvenile Serpulorbis. Serpulorbis recruitment also varied significantly among the dominant bryozoans. These recruitment patterns were found to result from differential postsettlement mortality as well as from selective settlement of larvae. The longevity of vermetids was also found to differ among substratum types, principally from an increase in the probability of surviving to 3 months of age on bryozoan substrates. No positive or negative effects of this relationship could be found for the bryozoans. By differentially recruiting onto bryozoans the vermetid: (1) aggregated for reproduction while avoiding competition for food with adult conspecifics; and (2) decreased juvenile mortality possibly by an avoidance of competition or by being camouflaged from predators. This relationship was judged to be facultative commensalism.
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