What to do when there is nothing to do: the ecology of Jamaican intertidal Littorinidae (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) in repose

Physiological consequences of the supralittoral fringe: microhabitat temperature profiles and stress protein levels in the tropical periwinkle Cenchritis muricatus (Linneaus, 1758)

“…1). During dry periods, these snails typically stay in repose (Burgett et al, 1987;Lang et al, 1998;Emson et al, 2002). Thus, during the 5 days of our rain-free study, periwinkles would not be expected to move among the microhabitats and we did not observe any fresh mucus trails on these rocks.…”

“…Third, behavioral selectivity of microhabitat type by gastropods may affect population structure. On solid rock surfaces, knobby periwinkles and other littorinids appear to exhibit a preference for crevices (Peckol et al, 1989;Lang et al, 1998) or even more complex microhabitats such as barnacles and algae (Jones & Boulding, 1999). Since crevice size may preclude large-bodied individuals, crevice availability may influence snail population structure (Emson & Faller-Fritsch, 1976;Raffaelli & Hughes, 1978).…”

“…Individuals can be found frequently on terrestrial vegetation, including tufts of grass, branches of buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus), sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera), and cactus (Opuntia repens) cladophylls. During periods of repose in the dry season, inactive snails can survive water losses greater than 20% of total mass (body tissue plus shell) over up to 20 weeks with little mortality (Britton, 1992;Lang et al, 1998;Emson et al, 2002). When water is scarce, as it is for these gastropods, the option to use evaporative cooling to minimize thermal stress will be limited (McMahon, 1990;Lang et al, 1998).…”

“…During periods of repose in the dry season, inactive snails can survive water losses greater than 20% of total mass (body tissue plus shell) over up to 20 weeks with little mortality (Britton, 1992;Lang et al, 1998;Emson et al, 2002). When water is scarce, as it is for these gastropods, the option to use evaporative cooling to minimize thermal stress will be limited (McMahon, 1990;Lang et al, 1998). Individual growth rates are exceedingly slow with life spans of at least 8 years and perhaps as long as 2 decades (Judge et al, 2009).…”

Dislodged but not dead: survivorship of a high intertidal snail following wave dislodgement

“…When the tide drops and rocks become dryösometimes for days or weeks on the high shoreölittorines are typically inactive. To preserve body water, many littorine species glue the lips of their shells to the substratum and withdraw the body and foot inside the shell, sealing the shell aperture with the operculum (Broekhuysen, 1940;Vermeij, 1971;Garrity, 1984;McMahon & Britton, 1985;Lang et al, 1998;Wada & Ito, 2000). This behaviour allows them to hold their positions on the shore while conserving water and potentially reducing conduction of heat from the substratum to the body during hot periods.…”