Occurrence of brominated compounds in soft-bottom benthic organisms

The abundant species of infaunal soft-bodied organisms from two geographically separated sites with very different predatory regimes were examined for the occurrence of volatile brominated compounds. Of the 10 species, three contained substantial amounts of brominated compounds while two others contained trace amounts. A greater proportion of species from the Western Atlantic site with large, sediment-disturbing predators and much lower infaunal densities contained these compounds. The occurrence of the compounds did not follow phylogenetic lineages or food sources. The toxicity of such compounds and potential for predator deterrence may be major determinants of their occurrence.