Variation in the growth and survival of the tropical vermetid gastropod Ceraesignum maximum is driven by size, habitat, and density

Abstract

with biomass was steeper for reefs where vermetid densities had been experimentally reduced. Survival was also greater on living coral Porites lobata (where coral growth covered longitudinal extensions of vermetid shells) relative to dead coral substrate (where vermetid shells extensions remained exposed). These data suggest little scope for regulation of vermetid population growth via direct density dependence in demographic rates. However, given that vermetids can kill corals, and vermetid survival probabilities appear to depend upon coral cover, it is predicted that vermetids may experience cyclical dynamics that are coupled to the dynamics of living coral.

Replacing mechanical protection with colorful faces–twice: parallel evolution of the non-operculate marine worm-snail genera Thylacodes (Guettard, 1770) and Cayo n. gen. (Gastropoda: Vermetidae)

“…Predation pressure is likely to be considerable within the shallow-water reef habitats where most vermetids are found ( Jones, Ferrell & Sale, 1991 ), with known vermetid predators including fish, sea stars, crabs, octopus and neogastropods ( e.g. , Menge et al., 1986 ; Osman, 1987 ; Calvo & Templado, 2005 ; Ramírez et al., 2013 ; Shima, Phillips & Osenberg, 2016 ; Brown et al., 2014 ; Shlesinger, Akkaynak & Loya, 2021 ). Even if not directly targeted as a prey item, sessile vermetids are also likely to be constantly exposed to grazing activities by parrotfish and others.…”

“…Studies of vermetid predation are sparse, but main predators are known to include fish (such as pufferfish, triggerfish, and parrotfish), sea stars, crab, octopus, and neogastropods ( e.g. , Menge et al., 1986 ; Osman, 1987 ; Calvo & Templado, 2005 ; Ramírez et al., 2013 ; Shima, Phillips & Osenberg, 2016 ; Brown et al., 2014 ; Shlesinger, Akkaynak & Loya, 2021 ). In intertidal and reef environments with strong predation pressure by grazing and scraping fish, the defense strategy by members of some genera ( Dendropoma , Novastoa ) includes building strong low-lying shells, reducing the profile further by actively entrenching into the substratum by radula action, and closing the aperture with a large operculum that is held shut by the animal’s strong columellar muscle ( Golding et al., 2014 ; Schiaparelli et al., 2017 ; Bieler, 1983–2023, pers.…”

Non-native molluscan colonizers on deliberately placed shipwrecks in the Florida Keys, with description of a new species of potentially invasive worm-snail (Gastropoda: Vermetidae)

“…As recently summarized by Shima, Phillips & Osenberg (2016), vermetids can cause growth anomalies in corals and are known to substantially reduce coral growth (Colgan, 1985; Zvuloni, Armoza-Zvuloni & Loya, 2008; Shima, Osenberg & Stier, 2010; Stier et al, 2010; Shima, Phillips & Osenberg, 2013) and might be able to shift coral species composition in a region (Shima, Osenberg & Stier, 2010). Colgan (1985) suggested that the vermetid mucous feeding web can inhibit its coral host’s growth in four ways: by reducing water circulation, by attenuating light, by intercepting food, or by irritating the coral’s surface.…”