Work

Diet of the Periwinkle Littorina irrorata in a Louisiana Salt Marsh

Year: 1979

Type: article

Abstract: The diet of the periwinkle Littorina irrorata was examined. The food substrate utilized most frequently in the field was dead Spartina alterniflora. The primary component of the stomach and feces was vascular plant particles. Plant particles, even though a major portion of the diet, were egested unaltered in feces. Other food substrates contributed significantly to the diet. Marsh sediment was utilized by 37% of all snails observed to be feeding, while 4% grazed on live S. alterniflora. Algal mats, present on several occasions during the study, were utilized extensively. Comparison of microbial components in dead S. alterniflora and marsh sediment with those in the stomach and feces indicated that members of the microbial community of food substrates were assimilated.

Source: Gulf Research Reports

DOI: 10.18785/grr.0603.11

Author: Steve K. Alexander

Institutions: Louisiana State University, University of Southern Mississippi

Language: English

Topic: Marine Biology and Ecology Research

Subfield: Oceanography

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Louisiana State University, Louisiana Sea Grant, Louisiana State University