Protoconch enlargement in Western Atlantic turritelline gastropod species following the closure of the Central American Seaway.

ABSTRACT: The closure of the late Neogene interoceanic seaways between the Western Atlantic (WA) and Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP)-commonly referred to as the Central American Seaway-significantly decreased nutrient supply in the WA compared to the TEP. In marine invertebrates, an increase in parental investment is expected to be selectively favored in nutrient-poor marine environments as prolonged feeding in the plankton becomes less reliable. Here, we examine turritelline gastropods, which were abundant and diverse across this region during the Neogene and serve as important paleoenvironmental proxies, and test whether species exhibit decreased planktotrophy in the WA postclosure as compared to preclosure fossils and extant TEP species. We also test for differences in degree of planktotrophy in e

SUBMITTER: Sang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6509377 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature