Night underwater rides: the activity of a sandy beach gastropod is affected by interactive effects of light availability and water level

Author(s)

Checon, Helio H. ^{[1, 2]} ; Silva, Mariana ^{[1, 3]} ; Corte, Guilherme N. ^{[1, 2]} ; Yokoyama, Leonardo Q. ^{[1, 4]} ; Teodosio, M. Alexandra ^[3] ; Turra, Alexander ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Oceanog, Praca Oceanog 191, BR-05508120 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Biol Anim, Rua Monteiro Lobato 255, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Algarve Faro, CCMAR, Faro - Portugal

^[4] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Mar, Lab Ecol & Gestao Costeira, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: MARINE BIOLOGY RESEARCH; v. 17, n. 5-6 OCT 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Olivella minuta is an abundant gastropod and important consumer on beach food webs, whose feeding activity was recently demonstrated to be reduced when submerged. Our study aimed to test the interactive effects of water level and light in the activity of O. minuta. Experiments were conducted in the laboratory simulating four conditions: (1) Light, emerged (LE); (2) Dark, emerged (DE); (3) Light, immersed (LI); and (4) Dark, immersed (DI). Our results showed a significant interaction between water level and light variation. During conditions of light availability, the results corroborated our expectations and individuals were less active when immersed. However, individuals showed the highest activity when immersed during lightless conditions. This enhanced activity on dark immersed periods can be explained by optimization of feeding strategy, to benefit from the input of food resources brought by the tide. This could also be an adaptation to avoid predation by visual predators, which needs to be further evaluated. Our results show that patterns of activity of O. minuta may be susceptible to impacts of light pollution and coastal squeezing, and that the interacting effects of light and water level need to be considered in further studies on the behaviour of beach organisms. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/15893-5 - Interpopulation variability in sandy beaches: case study about the zonation, reproduction, and growth of Olivella minuta (Gastropoda, Olividae)
• Grantee: Leonardo Querobim Yokoyama
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 17/17071-9 - Preserving sandy beaches: biodiversity, goods and services, and impacts on a neglected ecosystem
• Grantee: Guilherme Nascimento Corte
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 09/17585-6 - Population ecology of Olivella minuta (Link, 1807) (Gastropoda, Olividae) in the intertidal of Araçá and Barequeçaba beaches, northern coast of São Paulo State
• Grantee: Alexander Turra
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/22036-0 - Evaluating the potential of different benthic indicators to assess sandy beach ecological integrity: subsides for management and monitoring practices
• Grantee: Hélio Hermínio Checon
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate