Home > Spatial variability in the abundance of the corallivorous gastropod Drupella cornus
Spatial variability in the abundance of the corallivorous gastropod Drupella cornus
| Title | Spatial variability in the abundance of the corallivorous gastropod Drupella cornus |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 1994 |
| Authors | Turner, SJ |
| Journal | Coral Reefs |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pagination | 41 - 48 |
| Date Published | 1/1994 |
| ISSN | 1432-0975 |
| Keywords | biodiversity, Drupella, Ningaloo, snail |
| Abstract | The corallivorous gastropod Drupella has been responsible for extensive coral mortality on a number of reefs in the Indo-West Pacific region. Seasonal and spatial variability in the abundance of juvenile (< 2.0cm shell length) and adult (> 2.0cm) Drupella cornus along the Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, were documented during 1990/1991. Numbers of D. cornus were found to vary significantly between the different sites and reef habitats sampled, with the highest numbers recorded at a backreef edge site at the southern end of the reef. There was no evidence that the densities of D. cornus varied seasonally, although size-frequency distributions suggest that there may have been a recruitment peak in January/February 1991 following a major spawning event in November/December 1990. Drupella eornus were found predominantly on Acropora species with a caespitose/corymbose growth form; however the abundance of these corals at different sites did not explain the observed distribution patterns of the gastropod. Drupella cornus recruits (< 1.0cm shell length) frequently occurred on corals which were also occupied by larger conspecifics, suggesting that either larval settlement or post-settlement survival were increased in the presence of adult D. cornus. |
| URL | http://www.springerlink.com/content/l18k434161743q27/ |
| DOI | 10.1007/BF00426434 |
| Short Title | Coral Reefs |
| Refereed Designation | Refereed |
