Environmental position
At Swanpool, the trembling sea mat can be found growing on any hard surfaces such as stones, traffic cones, and concrete structures but has a particular predilection for submerged stems and rhizomes of Phragmites australis.

Associated fauna
Several taxa are consistently present living amongst Victorella pavida colonies, and on the Phragmites reeds, forming a community of aquatic organisms collectively termed 'Aufwuchs'. Taxa typically present include: chironomid larvae, nematodes, protozoans Stentor spp., and Zoothamnium spp., green and brown algae, mites, Nais spp., freshwater bryozoan Plumatella repens, and various small freshwater crustaceans including Gammarus chevreuxi.

Growth rate
Approximately 8 cm of linear growth over 1 month was observed in cultured colonies of Victorella pavida (Carter, 2004).

Salinity
The salinity of Swanpool is highly variable (0.5-22 psu) (Carter, 2004). A culvert connects the lagoon to the sea, with the incursion of seawater occurring on very high tides such as spring tides. At the northern end of Swanpool, the lagoon is fed freshwater from the Tregoniggie stream as well as diffuse drainage from a local catchment (Gainey, 1997; Evans, 2003).

Substratum/habitat
Victorella pavida can grow on any hard surface and in Swanpool can be found growing on concrete surfaces, stones, traffic cones and mainly %Phragmites australis%.

Reproduction frequency
Reproduction is seasonal and eggs were observed in zooids from June to September. Following reproduction the colony will degenerate in preparation for winter dormancy (Carter, 2004).