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Are molluscan maximum life spans determined by long-term cycles in benthic communities?

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Summary

A review of the maximum longevity of bivalves and gastropods indicates that a greater than average number of life spans coincide with the periods of long-term cycles in marine communities. Apparently, long-term cycles exert an important influence on marine communities by affecting the life spans of constituent species. Gastropods and bivalves are affected differently, longevities being determined by some cycles more than others in each group. Overall, molluscan longevities tend to be slightly longer than the corresponding cycle suggesting that there is selection pressure for life spans slightly longer than the cycle controlling recruitment success and generational replacement.

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  1. Department of Oceanography, Texas A & M University, 77843, College Station, TX, USA

    Eric N. Powell & Hays Cummins

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Powell, E.N., Cummins, H. Are molluscan maximum life spans determined by long-term cycles in benthic communities?. Oecologia 67, 177–182 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00384281

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