Meeting Abstract
Hatching plasticity is a known phenomenon in several taxa. However, it is not well documented in marine invertebrates. In previous lab experiments, egg capsules of the marine snail Nerita scabricosta have been observed to take longer than expected to hatch. The cause for this is unknown. Potential causes include changes in the environment and threat of predation. To determine if wave force and water temperature change affect hatching time, we compared hatching time between egg capsules kept in the lab at a constant temperature and motionless water to egg capsules with moving water and temperature change. There was no significant difference. However, there was a significant difference between these capsules and capsules in the field at 30 days and at 45 days. To answer the question of whether hatching time varies between tide pools, we monitored capsules in 21 tide pools, recorded hatching time, and compared the pools. There is a significant difference between the pools. Last, to determine what factors influence the hatching time, we checked the temperature and salinity of the tide pools and counted predators in each pool. Presence of predators increased the time to hatch; however, temperature and salinity do not have an effect.
