Marine flatworms are mainly carnivores that prey on tiny animals (protozoa, copepods and other worms) or feed on immobile animals such as bryozoans and tunicates. Flatworms play a role in many food chains. Some flatworms are parasites and parasites of all sorts are essential to most food webs and even in some food webs make up the majority of the biomass. But on the other hand, parasitic flatworms can disrupt coral reef ecosystems.
Animals are often used to monitor toxins in the environment. Researchers found that flatworms in estuaries can indicate the health of the ecosystem.
Invasive flatworms are a threat to forest ecosystems in the U.S. These flatworms come into the country on imported garden plants. Read more about it in our Featured Creature on Planarians.
An invasive flatworm from New Guinea has invaded Europe.
Flatworm and Ecosystem Videos
