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Site 3: snails, limpets and barnacles

Isolated ‘microcosm’

Different age classes too

 

 

Monitoring & Testing

 

The snail (see below) drew my attention-- but the different age classes of barnacles held it --- then closer look at different age classes and coloring of limpets made me think this was a great site to monitor over time

Test Hypothesis

See below for limpet coloring

 

 

The limpets are what is most interesting to me at Site 3—there appear to be several different age classes – with wide variation in shell coloring/ camouflage—the one above ‘8’ is perfectly ‘designed’

 

 

Nucella better not eat too much as limited supply barnacles. Later- they must have heard me because emigrated away 10 feet by 2 days later

Note variation in limpet: ages colors & species (X)—; Hypothesis—small brown snails (‘V’ = age 0) modify shell color to substrate as age

 

LIMPETS especially small brown

Working hypothesis: limpets are at first (after settling out of plankton and transforming) colored dark brown and then adapt their shell to the substrate they find themselves on (or is it genetically pre-determined?)--- I have found exposed mussels with an unidentified small brown limpet before and was thinking I had a new species

 

Looks like they measure about 1mm each at this time.--- The ‘older’, larger Semibalanus barnacle is about 8 mm

Oh yes, the barnacle spat

We can also see all stages settling (area above the ‘here’) --- while below resolution photo --- those small liner brown areas are brown sacs --- later stages show small, white calcerous circular collar around the ‘brown sacs’ etc

 

 

Created by LG on 5/11/2004

Last updated on Wednesday, May 12, 2004