Body mass index does not decline during winter for the sedentary marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata.

ABSTRACT: Seasonal extremes in environmental conditions can substantially limit the growth and reproduction of animals. Sedentary marine animals are particularly susceptible to winter food limitation since they cannot relocate to more favourable conditions. In several temperate-zone bivalve species, substantial winter tissue mass declines have been documented; however, no comparable studies have been conducted on intertidal gastropods. Here, we investigate whether the suspension-feeding intertidal gastropod Crepidula fornicata also loses substantial tissue mass during the winter. We calculated body mass index (BMI) for individuals collected in New England at different times of year for 7 years to determine whether BMI declines through winter or varies seasonally. Remarkably, C. fornicata</

SUBMITTER: Franklin AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10264102 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature