Non-Genetic Littoraria Fitness: How Size, Environment, and Health Affect Survivorship of Predator Interactions

Abstract

Marsh periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata) have many predators. When they encounter one, traits of both the periwinkle and its environment should contribute to whether or not it escapes. A better understanding of how these interactions are affected could provide greater insight into how changing habitats will affect ecosystem dynamics in Atlantic salt marshes. By counting the scars from such interactions on periwinkles hand-collected from several sites in salt marshes near Beaufort, NC, the effect of the environment (i.e. density and height of vegetation, distance from ocean access) and the periwinkle’s own non-genetic characteristics (i.e. size/age) on survivorship were determined. Using Single and Multiple Linear Regression analyses, no correlation between these features and the rate of scarring was determined.