Journal
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
Volume 20, Issue 3, Pages 1015-1027Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2007.01299.x
Keywords
phenotypic plasticity; evolutionary potential; predation risk; induced defences; mechanisms; shell morphology; gastropod; green crab; Littorina obtusata; Carcinus maenas
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Phenotypic plasticity has been the object of considerable interest over the past several decades, but in few cases are mechanisms underlying plastic responses well understood. For example, it is unclear whether predator-induced changes in gastropod shell morphology represent an active physiological response or a by-product of reduced feeding. We address this question by manipulating feeding and growth of intertidal snails, Littorina obtusata, using two approaches: (i) exposure to predation cues from green crabs Carcinus maenas and (ii) reduced food availability, and quantifying growth in shell length, shell mass, and body mass, as well as production of faecal material and shell micro-structural characteristics (mineralogy and organic fraction) after 96 days. We demonstrate that L. obtusata actively increases calcification rate in response to predation threat, and that this response entails energetic and developmental costs. That this induced response is not strictly tied to the animal's behaviour should enhance its evolutionary potential.
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