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Predation on egg capsules of Zidona dufresnei (Volutidae): ecological implications

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Abstract

Among the diverse patterns of energy allocation to the offspring of gastropods, the presence of egg capsules to protect embryos is common. Females of the edible snail Zidona dufresnei attach egg capsules to hard substrates in shallow Argentine Patagonian waters (40°45′S, 64°56′W) during spring-summer. Embryonic development takes about 30 days at 22°C. In this study, three likely capsule predator species and the marks left by each on egg capsule walls were identified in laboratory experiments in February 2010. Abundances of predators and egg capsules with evidence of predation were assessed in the field in the summers of 2010 and 2011. Under laboratory conditions (N = 10 replicates per treatment and control), the predation rate by the chiton Chaetopleura isabellei was the highest (up to 90%), followed by the gastropod Tegula patagonica and the crab Neohelice granulata (~20% each). Nearly 60% of 41 capsules found in the field showed signs of predation. According to the marks identified in the laboratory, C. isabellei was responsible for 79% of this predation, and T. patagonica for the rest. Predation appears to be important during the encapsulated early life and could be an agent for selecting for resistant capsule walls and a relatively shorter development time.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the staff of the Instituto de Biología Marina y Pesquera Almirante Storni (Ministry of Production of Río Negro Province and National University of Comahue, Argentina). We also thank two anonymous reviewers who made useful comments on the original version of the manuscript. This research was supported by Project PICT-Start up 1575 (Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Biología Marina y Pesquera Almirante Storni e Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigación y Desarrollo de la Patagonia Norte (IDEPA). Departamento de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Nacional Del Comahue, Güemes 1030 (8520), San Antonio Oeste, Río Negro, Argentina

    Andrea Roche, Matías Maggioni & Maite Narvarte

  2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Maite Narvarte

Authors
  1. Andrea Roche
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  2. Matías Maggioni
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  3. Maite Narvarte
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Correspondence to Andrea Roche.

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Communicated by J. P. Grassle.

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Roche, A., Maggioni, M. & Narvarte, M. Predation on egg capsules of Zidona dufresnei (Volutidae): ecological implications. Mar Biol 158, 2787–2793 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1777-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1777-5

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