Meeting Abstract
Behavior can ameliorate exposure to increasing environmental temperatures, yet the capacity of an organism to thermoregulate is often overlooked when predicting the effects of climate change. Tidal cycles offer a predictable change in microclimate that intertidal animals may exploit to avoid stressful temperatures. In mesocosm studies the snail, Nucella ostrina, is selective in its foraging location, using both temporal and spatial variability to avoid potentially high temperatures. We hypothesized that free-range snails would select to forage on days and at times that would minimize their risk of exposure to extreme temperatures. We were interested in when during a tidal cycle snails moved into exposed high shore areas and whether these decisions shifted the distribution of temperatures the snails experienced. We used a combination of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and thermal mimics to approximate body temperature of a mobile marine organism. We affixed passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags to snails and installed radio antenna at three discrete shore elevations in the rocky intertidal. Antennas detected the presence or absence of snails in exposed areas continuously for three months and temperatures were recorded every 15 minutes. This two-part technique is useful for animals that can’t be implanted with thermal telemetry sensors. Snails chose a narrower range of temperatures than those available in the environment, disproportionately selecting intermediate temperatures and avoiding the highest environmental temperatures. This behavior may buffer warming air temperatures and should be considered in models of coastal population and community dynamics.
