Seasonal variations of the biometric indices of Patella rustica Linnaeus, 1758 (Gastropoda Patellidae) from contrasted sites of the western Algerian coast

Abstract

The objective of this study is the evaluation of the resistance of the bioindicative species Patella rustica Linnaeus, 1758 (Gastropoda Patellidae) existing in the contrasted sites of the Algerian occidental seaboard through a follow-up of the seasonal variations of biometric indices. It is based on the analysis of biometric parameters of 600 individuals of this Gastropod mollusk from five sites: Madagh (MD), Bouzedjar Harbor (BH), Ain El Turck (AT), Oran Harbor (OH), and Kristel (KR). The seasonal sampling has been carried out and measurements on the height of the shell (H), its length (L), and its total weight (TW) are taken for all the populations of P. rustica. The correlation of the different measurements (length-height, length-total weight, height-total weight), with the help of the power curve and following STUDENT " t " test, DUNCAN, and the ACP, reveals the development of its shell first in height, followed in second position by the length, and this for the five sites under study. Weight would thus be the parameter under analysis that evolves the least quickly as compared to the other two biometric parameters involving a generally significant difference between the five sites under study. These results confirm that the growth of this mollusk varies depending on the seasons and relies on many biotic and abiotic factors that also condition the development of the shell and the growth of limpet. This approach represents a good means for environmental evaluation that could be used in biomonitoring programs to indicate the impact of pollution in the short and long term.

Population Characteristics of the Limpet Patella caerulea (Linnaeus, 1758) in Eastern Mediterranean (Central Greece)

“…Power regression equations (curvilinear) in three sites in Tunisia with significant negative allometric relationships for P. caerulea describing the relationships of shell length vs. shell height, shell length vs. shell width, and shell width vs. shell height were reported [40]. In western Algeria [105] P. rustica exhibited similar curvilinear negative allometric regression equations, describing the relationships between shell length, shell height, and total weight. Rocky intertidal communities are sensitive to the effects of anthropogenic disturbance.…”