Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
2016
Abstract
Wave exposure has strong influences on population density, morphology and behaviour of intertidal species in temperate zones, but little is known about how intertidal organisms in tropical regions respond to gradients in wave exposure. We tested whether dislodgement force and shell shape of a tropical gastropod, Cittarium pica, differs among shores that vary in wave exposure. After adjusting for body size, we found that C. pica from exposed shores required greater dislodgement force to remove them from the shore, had slightly larger opercula (the closure to the shell aperture), and were slightly squatter in shape (reduced in shell height relative to shell width) than C. pica from sheltered shores. These morphological adjustments are consistent with those observed in temperate gastropods, which are argued to represent adaptive responses to the risk of mortality associated with dislodgement.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Marine Biology Research
Volume
12
Issue
9
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Forrester, G. E., Macfarlan, R. J.A., Holevoet, A. J., & Merolla, S. (2016). Dislodgement force and shell morphology vary according to wave exposure in a tropical gastropod (Cittarium pica), Marine Biology Research, 12(9), 986-992. https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2016.1225956 Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2016.1225956
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