Meeting Abstract

101.2  Wednesday, Jan. 7  Reproductive correlates of exposure to ultraviolet light in an intertidal gastropod PODOLSKY, R.D.; College of Charleston podolskyr@cofc.edu

Organisms that reproduce in intertidal areas are exposed to physical stresses that could alter their reproductive behavior and output, in response to potential risks both to themselves and to their offspring. Because exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light can have effects that are especially damaging to rapidly-dividing cells, encapsulated embryos on tidal flats may be especially vulnerable. As part of a study of maternal effects on embryonic risks of exposure to UV light, I measured above-sediment activity, reproductive output, and diel timing of oviposition by adults that were exposed to different levels of UV and visible light. Adults of the intertidal snail Melanochlamys diomedea were housed individually in flow-through oviposition containers in outdoor seawater tanks. The containers were covered with one of three types of acrylic shield that were UV-transparent, UV-filtering, or UV-filtering with 50% visible light shade. I will address the hypothesis that egg mass size and timing of oviposition were altered by light exposure in ways that were more favorable for embryo survival. Including the visible-light shade treatment will allow determination of whether adults perceive or respond to diminished UV light per se or to an overall reduction in light intensity. Time lapse images of adult movement in containers will also be used to address the hypothesis that time above ground, where adults search for mates, is constrained by exposure to high levels of UV (or visible) light.