Meeting Abstract
The slipper shell, Crepidula fornicata, is an ecologically important species with strong impacts on its surrounding community. It is native to New England but invasive on the west coast of North America and in Europe. C. fornicata, like many other invertebrates, develops via a swimming larval stage. Their swimming and feeding are both accomplished using the velum, meaning that larvae must alter their swimming behavior to feed successfully. We explored the swimming behaviors of larvae when feeding and how food availability can influence these behaviors. Larval swimming was recorded and tracked during different levels of nutrition: continuous feeding versus 4-day starvation prior to the experiment, and food present during the experiment or not. In treatments with food present, larvae (both fed and starved prior to the experiment) spent more time at the tops of experimental flasks. When food is available, larvae may prioritize feeding and remain in their planktonic stage for longer, whereas those without food present may settle and transition sooner to juvenile feeding strategies. Starved larvae swam more slowly than fed larvae, spent more time near the bottom, and consumed less food than previously-fed larvae. Thus, emaciation may cause ineffective swimming even when food is available. This study provides the first description of swimming and feeding behavior of C. fornicata larvae and marks an important step in developing this species as a model organism for studying larval feeding behavior and larval ecology.
