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Behavioral repertoire of high-shore littorinid snails reveals novel adaptations to an extreme environment

Terence, P T Ng, Lau, Sarah L Y, Davies, Mark, Stafford, Richard, Seuront, Laurent, Hutchinson, Neil, Hui, Tommy T Y and Williams, Gray A (2021) Behavioral repertoire of high-shore littorinid snails reveals novel adaptations to an extreme environment. Ecology and Evolution. ISSN 2045-7758

Item Type: Article

Abstract

Species that inhabit high-shore environments on rocky shores survive prolonged periods of emersion and thermal stress. Using two Hong Kong high-shore littorinids (Echinolittorina malaccana and E. radiata) as models, we examined their behavioral repertoire to survive these variable and extreme conditions. Environmental temperatures ranged from 4°C in the cool season to 55.5°C in the hot season, with strong seasonal and daily fluctuations. In the hot season, both species allocated >35% of their activity budgets to stress-mitigating thermoregulatory behaviors (e.g. standing, towering) and relatively small proportions to foraging (<20%) and reproduction (<10%). In the assumedly benign cool season, greater proportions (>70%) of activity budgets were allocated to stress mitigation behaviors (crevice occupation, aggregation formation). Both species exhibited multifunctional behaviors that optimized time use during their tidally-constrained activity window in the hot season. Females mated while foraging when awash by the rising tide, and some males crawled on top of females prior to ceasing movement to form 'towers', which have both thermoregulatory benefits and reduce searching time for mates during subsequent activity. The function of such behaviors varies in a state-dependent manner, for example, the function of trail following changes over an activity cycle from mate searching on rising tides, to stress mitigation on falling tides (aiding aggregation formation), and to both functions through tower formation just before movement stops. Many of these behavioral responses are, therefore, multifunctional and can vary according to local conditions, allowing snails in this family to successfully colonize the extreme high-shore environment.

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Depositing User: Mark Davies

Identifiers

Item ID: 13449
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7578
ISSN: 2045-7758
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/13449
Official URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/e...

Users with ORCIDS

ORCID for Mark Davies: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1900-1022

Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 06 May 2021 08:56
Last Modified: 06 May 2021 09:00

Contributors

Author: Mark Davies ORCID iD
Author: P T Ng Terence
Author: Sarah L Y Lau
Author: Richard Stafford
Author: Laurent Seuront
Author: Neil Hutchinson
Author: Tommy T Y Hui
Author: Gray A Williams

University Divisions

Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing

Subjects

Sciences > Environment

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