The shell size - prey size relationship in mudsnails
Cherrill, A.J. (1988). The shell size - prey size relationship in mudsnails. Oikos (Kbh.) 51(1): 110-112
In: Oikos (København). Munksgaard: Copenhagen. ISSN 0030-1299; e-ISSN 1600-0706, more
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| Keywords |
Interspecific relationships > Competition
Interspecific relationships > Predation
Hydrobia W. Hartmann, 1821 [WoRMS]; Hydrobia ulvae (Pennant, 1777) [WoRMS]; Hydrobia ventrosa (Montagu, 1803) [WoRMS]
ANE, Denmark, Limfjorden [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Abstract |
Character displacement resulting from interspecific competition is a central concept in community ecology, yet good examples are few. Populations of mudsnails (genus Hydrobia) in the Limfjord, Denmark, provide what has been widely accepted as the most convincing case. In the Limfjord, H. ulvae and H. ventrosa differ in size when coexisting but are more similar in size when occurring alone. A broadly similar pattern of shell size variation exists for these species in eastern England. However, in a survey of populations around the Jutland coast Hylleberg (1986) failed to find consistent intraspecific differences in shell sizes between allopatric and sympatric populations. Both of these recent studies suggest that shell size may be determined, in large part, by environmental factors. |
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