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Habitat Selection of the Various Color Morphologies of Littorina obtusata in the Rocky Intertidal of Nahant, MA |
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Jarad Goldberg Biology Department, Clark University, Worcester, MA. Biology 201: Ecology of Atlantic Shores
Abstract In the rocky intertidal in Nahant MA, the flat periwinkle, Littorina obtusata dominates the region. They are ubiquitous throughout the mid-intertidal scattered within and under the Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus canopies. It was apparent after only a short time that there seemed to be a relationship between color morphology and substrate. Snails were sampled throughout the mid-intertidal with several being brought back into the lab where they were offered different color substrates to settle on. It seems intuitive that obtusata would prefer to settle in areas matching their coloration in the wild since they would become cryptic to predators, thus having an increased fitness. This relationship between substrate color and carapace color seems to be prey mitigated since there is no significant difference in habitat selection in the laboratory.
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