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Spatial patterns of abundance and shell morphology of two gastropod species associated with different morphologies of an intertidal seaweed

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Abstract

Patterns of abundance and shell morphology of intertidal gastropods are typically thought to depend on environmental conditions, but ecosystem engineers such as canopy-forming seaweeds can also influence these traits. The intertidal seaweed Hormosira banksii (H. banksii) is an abundant species and important ecosystem engineer on rocky shores and estuaries in south-east Australia, where it creates thick canopies colonized by a range of invertebrates, particularly gastropods. In Tasmania (southern Australia), H. banksii shows large variability in thallus length and structure, with different algal morphologies on coasts and in estuaries. In this study, individuals of two gastropod species were sampled from different habitats (north coast, east coast and northern estuaries) to: (1) describe the spatial variability in their abundance and shell morphology, and (2) understand if any relationship exists between H. banksii morphology and gastropod shell morphology. Gastropod abundance and morphology were variable, but multivariate analysis suggested a marginal influence of H. banksii morphological traits, particularly vesicle size, on the patterns observed. As the two gastropod species use habitat differently and that different H. banksii morphs occur in different locations, our results suggest that both algal morphology and environmental conditions may affect gastropod abundance and shell morphology across the different habitats. Hence, from these results a model can be developed and tested in subsequent experimental work to tease apart the effects of seaweed morphology from environmental conditions.

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  1. Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point Tas 7004, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

    Federica Gemelli, Craig R Johnson & Jeffrey T. Wright

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  1. Federica Gemelli
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  2. Craig R Johnson
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  3. Jeffrey T. Wright
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Contributions

Conceptualization was contributed by Federica Gemelli, Jeffrey T. Wright; Data curation was contributed by Federica Gemelli, Jeffrey T. Wright; Formal analysis was contributed by Federica Gemelli; Investigation was contributed by Federica Gemelli; Resources were contributed by Federica Gemelli, Jeffrey T. Wright; Supervision was contributed by Jeffrey T. Wright; Visualization was contributed by Jeffrey T. Wright, Craig Johnson; Writing original draft was contributed by Federica Gemelli; Reviewing and editing were contributed by Federica Gemelli, Jeffrey T. Wright, Craig Johnson. Copyright of figures was contributed by Federica Gemelli.

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Correspondence to Federica Gemelli.

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Gemelli, F., Johnson, C.R. & Wright, J.T. Spatial patterns of abundance and shell morphology of two gastropod species associated with different morphologies of an intertidal seaweed. Aquat Ecol 54, 653–670 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-020-09766-w

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