Christmas Tree Worm Eating. The christmas tree worm feeds by trapping plankton and other small particles on their plumes. The food is then passed down a food groove by ciliary tracts lines of tiny hair like extensions on the surface of cells that generate water currents to move food or mucus.
Cilia then pass the food to the worm s mouth. The christmas tree worm feeds by trapping plankton and other small particles on their plumes. Most of the larger species eat ciliates organic detritus and certain types of invertebrate larvae such as zooplankton and phytoplankton.
The food is then passed down a food groove by ciliary tracts lines of tiny hair like extensions on the surface of cells that generate water currents to move food or mucus.
The christmas tree worm feeds by trapping plankton and other small particles on their plumes. Few organisms are known to feed on tube borne polychaetes and s. As sedentary inhabitants of coral reefs christmas tree worms feed primarily by filter feeding. This somewhat specialized diet along with this species intolerance for strong direct water movement make it somewhat difficult to feed.