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Impact of wave exposure on seasonal morphological and reproductive responses of the intertidal limpet Fissurella crassa (Mollusca: Archaegastropoda)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2012

José Pulgar ,
Marcos Alvarez ,
Alejandro Delgadillo ,
Ines Herrera ,
Samanta Benitez ,
Juan Pablo Morales ,
Pilar Molina ,
Marcela Aldana  and
Victor Manuel Pulgar
José Pulgar*
Affiliation:
Universidad Andres Bello, Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, República 470, SantiagoChile
Marcos Alvarez
Affiliation:
Universidad Andres Bello, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, República 217, Santiago, Chile
Alejandro Delgadillo
Affiliation:
Universidad Andres Bello, Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, República 470, SantiagoChile Escuela de Ingeniería en Acuicultura, Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago, Chile
Ines Herrera
Affiliation:
Universidad Andres Bello, Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, República 470, SantiagoChile
Samanta Benitez
Affiliation:
Universidad Andres Bello, Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, República 470, SantiagoChile Universidad Andres Bello Escuela de Biología Marina, República 440, Santiago, Chile
Juan Pablo Morales
Affiliation:
Universidad Andres Bello, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, República 217, Santiago, Chile
Pilar Molina
Affiliation:
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Alameda 370, Santiago, Chile
Marcela Aldana
Affiliation:
Universidad Andres Bello, Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, República 470, SantiagoChile Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Alameda 370, Santiago, Chile Escuela de Pedagogía en Biología y Ciencias, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad Central de Chile,Santa Isabel 1278, Santiago
Victor Manuel Pulgar
Affiliation:
Center for Research in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Wake Forest School of Medicine and Biomedical Research Infrastructure Center, Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem NC, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: J. Pulgar, Universidad Andres Bello, Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, República 470, SantiagoChile email: jpulgar@unab.cl
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Abstract

Intertidal organisms have long been considered an ideal system to quantify how physical variations determine differential energy allocations in specimens inhabiting environmental gradients such as exposure to wave action. In habitats with differential intertidal wave exposure (sheltered, Sh; and exposed, E) seasonal gonadal and foot weight variations and their associations with exposure and food availability (algae abundance) were determined in the keyhole limpet Fissurella crassa. Gonadal weight is used as a measure of reproduction allocation whereas foot weight is an indirect indicator of energy allocation to survival. RNA:DNA ratio in limpets obtained from Sh and E habitats during the two different seasons was used as an indicator of biosynthetic capability. Our results indicate that algae abundance in E sites was higher in summer and lower in winter compared to Sh sites. In E sites the muscular foot weight of limpet was higher in summer in contrast to Sh sites where F. crassa muscular foot weight of limpet was higher in winter. Gonadal weight in Sh sites was higher in summer and remained constant in winter; whereas in E sites gonadal weight was lower in summer and higher in winter. RNA:DNA ratios indicate that regardless of intertidal wave exposure, F. crassa showed higher biosynthetic capability in summer. Energetic allocation in animals that inhabit sheltered intertidal habitats would support constant allocation towards reproduction. In contrast, animals that inhabit exposed habitats may favour seasonally reproduction allocation at expense of survival.

Keywords

shell morphologyRNA:DNA ratioenergetic trade-off
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 92 , Issue 7 , November 2012 , pp. 1595 - 1601
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2012

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