Hopkins Marine Station Student Paper

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(full paper is archived in the Miller Library)

Title: Orientation and response of Tegula funebralis to tidal current and turbulence
Student Author(s): Overholser, J. Alan
Faculty Advisor(s): Blinks, L.R.
Pages: 4
Location: Final Papers Biology 175H
Date: June 1963
Keywords: black turban snail
Abstract: Tegula funebralis is activated when subjected to current and/or air turbulence; this behavior agrees with Cloudsley-Thompson's remark (1961, p. 45) that many seashore animals are activated by waves. Further, current causes Tegula to orient into the flow, and also keeps them down near the bottom; if the current is sufficiently strong, however, they will often turn and head for shelter at the first respite. Preliminary tests in a vertical tube (250 cm/min flow) indicate that snails tend to go down regardless of current direction: evidently current stimulation, and not direction, causes Tegula to go down. It was shown that Tegula changed their orientation to current after a few hours: this may be a set pattern of response, or perhaps the snails became fatigued. Gradation of current needs to be tried in all these cases. Finally, there is a definite response to air jets: the snails would clump in regions of greatest turbulence. This turbulence seemed to enhance the effect of light (the snails going down in light, up in dark). It is possible, however, that these results were due to the entering air rather than to the turbulence: further tests are definitely necessary.
Notes: Published 1964, Veliger 6 (suppl.):38-41