Blackwell Science Ltd. Further electronic distribution is not allowed. The low patchiness values for all stages of eggs compared to early larvae was surprising, considering the nonuniformity of spawning aggregations. The decrease in patchiness with age resulted from diffusion and the dissipation of the eddies.
Patches can have important implications for predator-prey interactions of larval pollock.
Conversely, if pollock larvae coexist in patches with more numerous zooplankton, those predators feeding within the patch may saturate quickly, reducing predation pressure on larvae. Mechanisms that aggregate larvae may likewise aggregate their prey. To date, the evidence that it is advantageous for larvae to feed in a patch is equivocal. The vertical stratification of this feature suppressed wind-induced turbulence relative to that in adjacent waters. This coupling of biology and physics provides a potential mechanism for enhanced larval survival in a patch maintained by an eddy, or any region with enhanced stratification.