Submission Type
Poster
Start Date
April 2020
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions, where snails eat clams, evolutionarily has been a key interaction within marine molluscan communities. There is evidence of molluscan extinctions in the fossil record that are marked by changes in predation ratios. In this study, we will investigate predation of microbivalves by juvenile naticid gastropods in a shallow marine setting on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. We propose to test predation density within different environments (facies) of a lagoonal setting. Significantly different ratios between these facies in one time period can indicate that predator-prey interactions can change over time from one environment to another. It is more efficient to test this with juvenile microbivalves, due to a greater abundance and less bias in preservation in microfauna than macrofauna. Our null hypothesis is that there will be no significant variation in predation densities between the different facies. When comparing our data to other time periods, we could determine the presence of a molluscan extinction event.
Recommended Citation
Merges, Eliza, "136— Predation on Microbivalves by Juvenile Naticid Gastropods on San Salvador Island, The Bahamas" (2020). GREAT Day Posters. 36.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2020/posters-2020/36
Included in
136— Predation on Microbivalves by Juvenile Naticid Gastropods on San Salvador Island, The Bahamas
Predator-prey interactions, where snails eat clams, evolutionarily has been a key interaction within marine molluscan communities. There is evidence of molluscan extinctions in the fossil record that are marked by changes in predation ratios. In this study, we will investigate predation of microbivalves by juvenile naticid gastropods in a shallow marine setting on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. We propose to test predation density within different environments (facies) of a lagoonal setting. Significantly different ratios between these facies in one time period can indicate that predator-prey interactions can change over time from one environment to another. It is more efficient to test this with juvenile microbivalves, due to a greater abundance and less bias in preservation in microfauna than macrofauna. Our null hypothesis is that there will be no significant variation in predation densities between the different facies. When comparing our data to other time periods, we could determine the presence of a molluscan extinction event.
Comments
Sponsors:
Dr. Jeffery Over; Department of Geology, SUNY Geneseo
Dr. Isidro Bosch; Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY Geneseo