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Strong influence of microhabitat on survival for an intertidal snail, Nucella lima

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Abstract

Within a population, survival can vary widely among individuals based upon numerous aspects of the phenotype, including (but not limited to) age, size, and habitat use. We examined the role of microhabitat use, individual color, and length, in explaining within-population variation in survival for an intertidal snail, Nucella lima. We used a multi-state capture–mark–recapture approach to determine survival and movement rates and found that favored models constrained survival to be a function of microhabitat. Survival estimates from the best-fit model were different between habitat types, despite the fact that habitats were immediately adjacent. Fidelity and disproportionate movement into the habitat with the highest survival suggested possible adaptive habitat choice. This study highlights the importance of small-scale variation in influencing population vital rates, as well as the need for quantifying within-population heterogeneity in survival.

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Acknowledgments

While working on this research, R. P. K. was supported by an Alaska EPSCoR Graduate Research Fellowship. The University of Alaska Southeast NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program helped to support this research. We thank the many individuals from the Tallmon lab who helped in collecting snails. Finally, we thank Mark S. Lindberg who provided many insightful comments during capture–mark–recapture analyses and Tasman Crowe and one anonymous reviewer for their comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology and Wildlife Department, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA

    Ryan P. Kovach & David A. Tallmon

  2. Biology and Marine Biology, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK, 99801, USA

    David A. Tallmon

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  1. Ryan P. Kovach
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  2. David A. Tallmon
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Correspondence to Ryan P. Kovach.

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Handling editor: T. P. Crowe

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Kovach, R.P., Tallmon, D.A. Strong influence of microhabitat on survival for an intertidal snail, Nucella lima . Hydrobiologia 652, 49–56 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0317-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0317-5

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