6 documents found, page 1 of 1
Enemies with benefits: parasitic endoliths protect mussels against heat stress
Zardi, Gerardo I.; Nicastro, Katy R; McQuaid, C. D.; Ng, T. P. T.; Lathlean, J.; Seuront, L.Positive and negative aspects of species interactions can be context dependant and strongly affected by environmental conditions. We tested the hypothesis that, during periods of intense heat stress, parasitic phototrophic endoliths that fatally degrade mollusc shells can benefit their mussel hosts. Endolithic infestation significantly reduced body temperatures of sun-exposed mussels and, during unusually extre...
Intraspecific genetic lineages of a marine mussel show behavioural divergence a...
Zardi, Gerardo I.; Nicastro, Katy R; McQuaid, C. D.; Castilho, Rita; Costa, Joana; Serrão, Ester; Pearson, G. A.Background: Intraspecific variability is seen as a central component of biodiversity. We investigated genetic differentiation, contemporary patterns of demographic connectivity and intraspecific variation of adaptive behavioural traits in two lineages of an intertidal mussel (Perna perna) across a tropical/subtropical biogeographic transition. Results: Microsatellite analyses revealed clear genetic differentiat...
Comparison of phototrophic shell-degrading endoliths in invasive and native pop...
Marquet, Nathalie; Nicastro, Katy R; Gektidis, M.; McQuaid, C. D.; Pearson, G. A.; Serrão, Ester; I Zardi, GerardoThe intertidal mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis is a successful invader worldwide. Since its accidental introduction onto the South African west coast in the late 1970s, it has become the most successful marine invasive species in South Africa. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is that M. galloprovincialis suffers less from phototrophic shell-degrading endoliths in its invasive than in its native ran...
Love thy neighbour: group properties of gaping behaviour in mussel aggregations
Nicastro, Katy R; I Zardi, Gerardo; McQuaid, C. D.; Pearson, G. A.; Serrão, EsterBy associating closely with others to form a group, an animal can benefit from a number of advantages including reduced risk of predation, amelioration of environmental conditions, and increased reproductive success, but at the price of reduced resources. Although made up of individual members, an aggregation often displays novel effects that do not manifest at the level of the individual organism. Here we show...
Coastal topography drives genetic structure in marine mussels
Nicastro, Katy; Zardi, Gerardo; McQuaid, C. D.; Teske, P. R.; Barker, N. P.Understanding population connectivity is fundamental] to ecology, and, for sedentary organisms, connectivity is achieved through larval dispersal. We tested whether coastal topography influences genetic structure in Perna Perna mussels by comparing populations inside bays and on the open coast. Higher hydrodynamic stress on the open coast produces higher mortality and thus genetic turnover. Populations on the o...
Movement behaviour and mortality in invasive and indigenous mussels: resilience...
Nicastro, Katy; Zardi, Gerardo; McQuaid, C. D.The responses of indigenous and exotic species to environmental factors can differ across spatial and temporal scales, and it is this difference that determines invasion success and the dynamics of co-existence, In South Africa, the indigenous Perna perna and the invasive Mytilus galloprovincialis are the dominant intertidal mussels on the southern coast, where they co-exist. We compared their movement behaviou...