Editing Dendrobranchiata (section)

==Ecology and behaviour==
[[File:Messina Straits Argyropelecus hemigymnus.jpg|thumb|Fish, such as this ''[[Argyropelecus hemigymnus]]'', are important predators of juvenile prawns, such as this ''[[Sicyonia]]''.]]
There is a great deal of ecological variation within the suborder Dendrobranchiata. Some species of Sergestidae live in [[fresh water]], but most prawns are exclusively marine.<ref name="TM134"/> Species of [[Sergestidae]] and [[Benthesicymidae]] mostly live in deep water, and [[Solenoceridae]] species live offshore, while most [[Penaeidae]] species live in shallow inshore waters, and ''[[Lucifer (crustacean)|Lucifer]]'' is [[plankton]]ic.<ref name="TM134"/> Some species burrow in mud on the sea floor during the day and emerge at night to feed.<ref name="TM134"/>

Prawns are "opportunistic omnivores",<ref name="TM135"/> and their [[diet (nutrition)|diet]] can include a range of food items from fine particles to large organisms. These may include [[fish]], [[chaetognath]]s, [[krill]], [[copepod]]s, [[radiolaria]]ns, [[phytoplankton]], [[nematocyst]]s, [[ostracod]]s and [[detritus]].<ref name="TM135">[[#TavaresMartin2010|Tavares & Martin, 2010]], p. 135</ref> Prawns eat less around the time of [[ecdysis]] (moulting), probably because of the softness of the mouthparts, and must eat more than usual to compensate, once ecdysis is complete.<ref name="TM135"/>

Prawns are an attractive food for [[predator]]s, with a higher [[energy content]] than most other invertebrates.<ref name="Dall357">[[#Dall1990|Dall, 1990]], p. 357</ref> The larvae are prey to [[comb jelly|comb jellies]], [[jellyfish]], [[chaetognath]]s, [[fish]] and other [[crustacean]]s (such as [[mantis shrimp]] and [[crab]]s), and only a tiny proportion survive.<ref name="Dall358">[[#Dall1990|Dall, 1990]], p. 358</ref> Juveniles are targeted by a number of fish, [[cephalopod]]s and [[bird]]s; ''[[Litopenaeus vannamei]]'' juveniles experience 90% mortality in the 6–12 weeks they spend in Mexican [[lagoon]]s, and this is thought to be due almost entirely to predation.<ref name="Dall358"/> Adult prawns are less susceptible to predation, but can fall prey to some [[fish]].<ref name="Dall359">[[#Dall1990|Dall, 1990]], p. 359</ref>