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Influence of trematode infections on in situ growth rates of Littorina littorea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2001

Kim N. Mouritsen
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Aarhus University, Finlandsgade 14, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
A. Gorbushin
Affiliation:
Department of Invertebrate Zoology, St Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab 7/9, 199034 St Petersburg, Russia
K. Thomas Jensen
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Aarhus University, Finlandsgade 14, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark

Abstract

The influence of various species of digenean trematodes on the in situ growth rate of Littorina littorea (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) from different habitats was investigated. The main results showed: (1) that infections either reduced or had no significant effect on growth in comparison with uninfected snails; (2) that the same type of infection could have a differential effect on growth depending on the habitat/population from which the snails originated. These findings are consistent with the life history hypothesis expecting no or a stunting effect of trematode infections on the growth of longer-lived snails, but do also emphasize that growth rates following trematode invasion can be significantly modified by environmental conditions, such as, food availability.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1999 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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