Exploring morphological variation of Rough periwinkle (Littorina saxatilis) shells along exposed and

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Juniper Kiss WinkleStats

Exploring morphological variation of Rough periwinkle (Littorina saxatilis) shells along exposed and sheltered rocky shores, with three data transformation methods INTRODUCTION Rocky shore is a spatially and temporally heterogeneous environment (Witman, 1985; Helmuth and Hoffman, 2001). Gastropod mollusc morphology, concentrating on shape, size, and colour of the shell and size of the foot (Clarke et al., 1998; Trussell 1997, Reimchen, 1974), shell strength (Vermeij and Currey, 1980) can be used for modelling strategies of adaptation to such environment on a small (De Wolf et al., 1997; Sundberg, 1988) and also large geographic scale (Etter, 1988; Trussell 2000). Phenotypic plasticity (Agrawal, 2001) can lead to different ecotypes as a result of local adaptation (Hollander et at., 2006; Janson, 1982). Littorina saxatilis is one of the most polymorphic species of winkles, having different ecotypes based on their shell morphology, predators and distribution on sea shores (Figure 1, Table 1; Reid, 1996; Hull et al., 1996; Johannesson, 2003).

Figure 1. The morphological variation (aperture area, thickness of shell) in L. saxatilis along sea shores are suggested to be mainly correlated with wave action and crab predation in several countries (Johannesson, 2003)

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