Chilika is a highly productive lagoon where water contains plenty of suspended organic matter of both extrinsic and intrinsic origin. We collected water from the shore of Chilika where large amount of organic material mostly of plant origin were decomposing. Polychaetes refer such habitats where plenty of  such organic matter is available and are known to feed on this.

The polychaete larva also known as trocophore are translucent, motile planktonic annelids is seen feeding on the organic aggregates of detritus and microbes suspended in the water column.  The larva is seen occasionally popping in and out of the aggregate, we can notice the pear shaped larvae with its prototroch which helps it to swim and collect food particles from the water column. Mostly the polychaete larva are found associated with the aggregates either residing on them or feeding on the microbes or detritus associated with it. Such organic aggregates provide a micro-habitat similar to that of benthic sediments environment in the pelagic water column.