Body temperature and desiccation constrain the activity of Littoraria irrorata within the Spartina alterniflora canopy

Gastropod Abundance and Biomass Relationships with Salt Marsh Vegetation within Ocean-dominated South Carolina, Usa Estuaries

Molluscs, both gastropods and bivalves, appear to disproportionately influence the dynamics of salt marsh habitats. Bivalves typically are facilitators positively affecting the growth and survival of marshes, but gastropods may have unanticipated top-down effects through direct consumption of the predominant marsh vegetation, Spartina alterniflora. Natural, elevational differences in S. alterni...

Trophic heterogeneity in salt marshes of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Predator-prey interactions in salt-marsh ecosystems are driven primarily by interactions among tidal dynamics, local physiography, and macrophyte density. Distinct seaward-to-landward predation gradients have been described for the continuous and expansive meadows of Spartina alterniflora on the Atlantic coast of the United States. In the northern Gulf of Mexico, Juncus roemerianus dominates an...

Infection by Parorchis acanthus (Trematoda) decreases grazing by the keystone gastropod, Littoraria irrorata

Parasites are well-known to alter the behavior of their hosts, but there is still a paucity of knowledge about how parasites modify the behavior of many ecologically influential host species. I studied the keystone grazer, the salt marsh periwinkle (Littoraria irrorata), to determine the influence of infection by the digenetic trematode, Parorchis acanthus, on its grazing behavior. Comparative ...

Experiencing the salt marsh environment through the foot of Littoraria irrorata: Behavioral responses to thermal and desiccation stresses

Consumer trait variation influences tritrophic interactions in salt marsh communities

The importance of intraspecific variation has emerged as a key question in community ecology, helping to bridge the gap between ecology and evolution. Although much of this work has focused on plant species, recent syntheses have highlighted the prevalence and potential importance of morphological, behavioral, and life history variation within animals for ecological and evolutionary processes. ...