Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 February 2016
C. M. Yonge's idea that differences in habitat distribution and species diversity between archaeogastropods and caenogastropods are caused by differences in their respective abilities to obtain oxygen in turbid water is tested experimentally for the first time. Of 11 species of marine prosobranchs studied—six archaeogastropods and five caenogastropods—three archaeogastropods and two caenogastropods show significant reductions of respiration in response to turbidity, as shown using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Two-way nested ANCOVA, which goes beyond one-way ANCOVA by incorporating all data into a single analysis, was also unable to detect any significant difference between archaeogastropods and caenogastropods in their respiratory responses to turbidity. Though the number of species studied was limited, the data and statistical tests suggest that there may be no biologically important systematic difference between archaeogastropods and caenogastropods in their respiratory responses to turbid conditions. Results of this study cast doubt on the validity of Yonge's hypothesis and suggest the need for new research into the controls of gastropod distribution and species diversity.