Interactions of growth and mortality in benthic invertebrate populations: Empirical evidence for a mortality-growth continuum

Data from unexploited populations confirm a continual relation between growth rate and mortality rate in benthic invertebrates. They indicate a limited range of mortality attributable to a given growth rate, which may reflect a ''mortality-growth continuum'' of predator-prey relations ranging from ''low mortality'' to ''high mortality'' strategies in prey populations. An index based on the empirical relation between growth and mortality can be used to determine the position of a population in the ''mortality-growth continuum''. This index expresses relative predation pressure and may also be used to check for potential overfishing in exploited stocks of benthic invertebrates, when more sophisticated measures are not available.