FOR ADULTS ONLY - SUPPLY-SIDE ECOLOGY AND THE HISTORY OF LARVAL BIOLOGY

When ecologists study organisms with multiphasic life cycles, they mus t often confront the problem of which phase to scrutinize. In principl e, the dynamics and interactions of all stages could play a major role in the regulation of adult populations and species assemblages. In pr actice, however, the roles of larger and more sedentary phases-being e asier to count and manipulate than motile propagules - have been empha sized. Nonetheless, several recent studies on the small, dispersing la rval phase of marine invertebrate life cycles reach the conclusion tha t the spatial distribution and supply of propagules can control the di stribution and abundance of populations of benthic adults. To some, th e present emphasis on planktonic propagules amounts to a resurrection of ideas developed during a long and rich history of larval biology. T o others, studies of demographic and ecological connections between la rval and adult populations represent a substantial revision of ecologi cal paradigms.