The Biology of<i>Purpura Lapillus</i>. I. Shell Variation in Relation to Environment

Moore, Hilary B.

doi:10.1017/s002531540001119x

Cited by 106 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Therefore, our results show the value of incorporating early ontogenetic traits, such as shell color plasticity which may have important consequences for the fitness of organisms with complex life-cycles, into studies of trophic interactions (31). Finally, the capacity of C. concholepas to change its shell color to match that of its prey species represent a mechanism that, so far, has not been convincingly demonstrated for any caenogastropod (32).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 84%

Adaptive shell color plasticity during the early ontogeny of an intertidal keystone snail

Manríquez

Lagos

Jara

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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We report a mechanism of crypsis present during the vulnerable early post-metamorphic ontogeny (≤20 mm peristomal length) of the muricid snail Concholepas concholepas , a rocky shore keystone predator characteristic of the southeastern Pacific coast. In the field, we found a significant occurrence (>95%) of specimens bearing patterns of shell coloration (dark or light colored) that matched the background coloration provided by patches of Concholepas ' most abundant prey (mussels or barnacles respectively). The variation in shell color was positively associated with the color of the most common prey ( r = 0.99). In laboratory experiments, shell coloration of C. concholepas depended on the prey-substrate used to induce metamorphosis and for the post-metamorphic rearing. The snail shell color matched the color of the prey offered during rearing. Laboratory manipulation experiments, switching the prey during rearing, showed a corresponding change in snail shell color along the outermost shell edge. As individuals grew and became increasingly indistinguishable from the surrounding background, cryptic individuals had higher survival (71%) than the non cryptic ones (4%) when they were reared in the presence of the predatory crab Acanthocyclus hassleri . These results suggest that the evolution of shell color plasticity during the early ontogeny of C. concholepas , depends on the color of the more abundant of the consumed prey available in the natural habitat where settlement has taken place; this in turn has important consequences for their fitness and survivorship in the presence of visual predators.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 84%

Adaptive shell color plasticity during the early ontogeny of an intertidal keystone snail

Manríquez

Lagos

Jara

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Shell shape in L. littorea shows very much less variation from one locality to another than in Purpura lapillus (Moore, 1936), this being probably associated with the dispersal obtained by the pelagic eggs of the former, the young Purpura hatching and dispersing on the same ground as the adults. The spiral angle a (Moore, 1936, p.…”

Section: ;mentioning

confidence: 88%

The Biology of Littorina littorea. Part I. Growth of the Shell and Tissues, Spawning, Length of Life and Mortality.

Moore

1937

J. Mar. Biol. Ass.

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The Periwinkle, Littorina littorea (L.), is one of the most abundant gastropods on the shore, and can live under widely varying conditions. It is found on clean, alga-covered rocks, among small stones, on gravel, on soft mud, and rarely even on sand. It ranges from about high water of neap tides to extreme low water of spring tides, and in some places even slightly below this, although in most localities it is restricted to a much smaller part of the tidal zone. It occurs also from shores with high wave-exposure to sheltered and even polluted estuaries, where it is tolerant of considerable lowering of the salinity. The material for the present study was collected at intervals throughout 1934—1936 from three localities near Plymouth, the details of which are as follows.

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“…Amongst the areas, Gourock had the highest abundance of N. lapillus, followed by Largs, while Loch Fyne had the lowest abundance, indicated by the catch per unit effort (Table 1). At the time of collection a note was made of the presence or absence of the 2 barnacles Semibalanus balanoides and Chthamalus spp., and also of the abundance of the mussel Mytilus edulis (Table 2), all of which are regular prey of dogwhelks (Moore 1936, 1938b, Burrows & Hughes 1990). In order to estimate the metal concentrations in the foods of the dogwhelks, native S. balanoides and M. edulis were also collected from each site where possible, and stored at -25°C pending further metal analyses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth rate as a factor confounding the use of the dogwhelk Nucella lapillus as biomonitor of heavy metal contamination

Leung¹,

Morgan²,

Wu³

et al. 2001

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Growth rate of individually tagged dogwhelks Nucella lapillus (L.) was measured in free-living individuals at 3 sites of differing heavy metal contamination in the Firth of Clyde, west Scotland. Condition index (CI), concentrations of metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn), metallothionein (MT), RNA (the RNA/protein ratio) and glycogen were also measured. In general, the marine environments of Gourock and Largs were contaminated with significantly higher tributyltin, Pb and Zn than Loch Fyne, as indicated by the results of imposex indices, and metal concentrations in transplanted polymer-ligands (Chelex® 100) and Mytilus edulis. Further, metal concentrations of native M. edulis (Pb and Zn) and Semibalanus balanoides (Cu) from Gourock were significantly higher than those from Loch Fyne. However, metal accumulation in the dogwhelks displayed a very different pattern. At a standard size (0.5 g wet soft-body weight), N. lapillus from Largs showed higher Cd, Cu and MT in their tissues than individuals from the other 2 populations. Levels of Pb and Zn were similar among the populations despite different concentrations in Chelex and mussels. Gourock dogwhelks showed similar levels of Cu and MT but lower Cd compared to those of Loch Fyne. These differences can be attributed primarily to differences in dogwhelk growth rate between sites. Gourock individuals had a higher CI and RNA/protein ratio in the foot muscle and grew faster (especially at small sizes), resulting in a tissue-dilution effect on metal and MT concentrations. In contrast, higher levels of Cd, Cu and MT in dogwhelks from Largs can be attributed to their growth rate being relatively slow compared to the rate of metal accumulation. Slow-growing individuals in Loch Fyne had relatively high Cd, Pb Zn and MT, although Loch Fyne has been regarded as a clean reference site. Among populations, differences in growth rate may be due to differences in prey availability, predation pressure, and/or genotype. The present results demonstrate that inter-site differences in growth rate can confound the use of the dogwhelks as a biomonitor of metals.

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The Biology ofPurpura Lapillus. I. Shell Variation in Relation to Environment

Cited by 106 publications

References 5 publications

Adaptive shell color plasticity during the early ontogeny of an intertidal keystone snail

Adaptive shell color plasticity during the early ontogeny of an intertidal keystone snail

The Biology of Littorina littorea. Part I. Growth of the Shell and Tissues, Spawning, Length of Life and Mortality.

Growth rate as a factor confounding the use of the dogwhelk Nucella lapillus as biomonitor of heavy metal contamination

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