Ecology of Atlantic Shores 2008    Julie Swanton
	|   Home   |   Bermuda   |   Nahant   |

|   Abstract  |   Introduction   |   Methods   |   Results  |   Discussion   |

Littorina littorea      The Common Periwinkle (L. littorea) is found in all zones fo the intertidal on northern shores.  Their preferred  substrates range from  sand to boulders. L. littorea are voracious grazers, feeding on Enteromorpha, Ulva  lactuca, and  other green and red algae species [www.marlin.ac.uk].  These snails need moist conditions to move and forage for food.  Moisture can come from several sources; the tides, waves, rain, dew, run off.  Because of their wide range in the  intertidal they are exposed to a gradient of salinities and moisture levels.  The purpose of this experiment was to see  if foraging is limited to the type of moisture (fresh or salt). Initial onservations showed that snails were actively moving  out of pools during low to moderate rainfall. Based on these observations I predicted there would be some activity  from the snails when I exposed them to freshwater, and more activity when exposed to saltwater.

Clark University 2008