Meeting Abstract

P3.60  Sunday, Jan. 6  Prey Plasticity and Life History Responses to a Native and Nonnative Predator HOOKS, AP; Stony Brook University hooksap@gmail.com

Phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental stimuli is exceedingly common across systems and taxa. For instance, predation risk in many gastropods can induce a variety of defenses including growing thicker shells, growing shells of different shapes, and developing apertural teeth. Along with changes in shell morphology, gastropods can also delay reproduction when in the presence of predators, reproduce at a larger size, and produce fewer young. However, the role of coevolution between species that produce these defense responses and their consumers is not well known. My study examined the responses of ovoviviparous gastropods (Littorina saxatilis) from three different populations (marsh habitat, boulder habitat, and cobble stone habitat) to the presence of a native (Panopeus herbstii) and nonnative (Hemigrapsus sanguineus) crab predators to investigate the role of coevolution in shaping phenotypically plastic responses. The morphological responses I tested for include differences in shell shape, shell thickness, and shell and soft tissue growth. The life history characteristics I studied include size at first reproduction, fecundity, and offspring survivorship.