Recruitment of marine species: Is the bandwagon rolling in the right direction?

A highly variable rate of recruitment from pelagic larval to demersal or sessile juvenile and adult stage is characteristic of marine organisms. At present it is a major subject of attention by ecologists interested in population or community processes. Several factors conspire to ensure this variability, but in studying them it will be important to focus on the behavioral capabilities of marine larvae, and on the very small proportion of (perhaps lucky) larvae destined to be successful.