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Examining the impact of a symbiotic lifestyle on the fecundity of the marine gastropod Crepidula plana
Author(s) -
Pechenik Jan A.,
Richards Kelly B.,
Freliech Cecily A.,
Diederich Casey M.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
invertebrate biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.486
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1744-7410
pISSN - 1077-8306
DOI - 10.1111/ivb.12294
Subject(s) - biology , fecundity , littorina , ecology , zoology , hermit crab , marine larval ecology , range (aeronautics) , juvenile , fishery , mollusca , crustacean , population , decapoda , larva , materials science , demography , sociology , composite material
The marine gastropod Crepidula plana has an extensive latitudinal range along the eastern coast of the United States. It is usually found living within gastropod shells occupied by hermit crabs, although individuals can sometimes also be found living on rocks and on the exposed surfaces of shells. Our study sought to determine the extent to which residing inside periwinkle ( Littorina littorea ) shells occupied by the hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus at a study site in coastal Massachusetts compromises the fecundity of C. plana, through size limitation. The egg masses of symbiotic and free‐living females of C. plana included comparable numbers of egg capsules and embryos per female despite the smaller sizes of the symbionts; symbiotic females compensated for their smaller size by producing significantly more embryos per milligram of female body tissue than their free‐living counterparts. These data raise interesting questions about why—unlike its congener C. fornicata — C. plana has not yet become a successful invasive species.