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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 59(6)

Temporal patterns of gastropod egg mass deposition on southeastern Australian shores

Rachel Przeslawski
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.

B Present address: Geoscience Australia, GPO 378, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

C Email: rachel.przeslawski@ga.gov.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 59(6) 457-466 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF07229
Submitted: 29 November 2007  Accepted: 15 February 2008   Published: 19 June 2008

Abstract

Spawning of marine invertebrates may be affected by environmental factors (e.g. food availability, environmental stress) or intrinsic factors (e.g. phylogenetic constraints, developmental mode); intrinsic factors may obscure environmental effects. Two-year surveys of gastropod egg mass deposition were conducted at two rocky intertidal sites in south-eastern Australia to test the following hypotheses: (1) temporal patterns of spawning are more similar within taxonomic order than across orders; and (2) species with planktotrophic larvae are more likely to spawn in seasons coinciding with maximum food availability. There were no discernible effects of either order or developmental mode on spawning patterns, suggesting that spawning behaviour is unrelated to taxonomic order or larval food availability. Alternatively, low numbers of species in certain groups may have increased the risk of not detecting significant effects (type II error). Comparisons with anecdotal data from other regions suggest that developmental mode may indeed play a role in marine gastropod spawning. Criteria are provided for future comparative studies, including a direct focus on specific families and the inclusion of similar latitudes and habitats to those used here. Such studies will help to determine the roles of developmental mode, food availability and environmental stress in the evolution of egg mass deposition.

Additional keywords: direct development, mollusc, phenology, planktotrophy, rocky intertidal, survey.


Acknowledgements

I am grateful to K. Benkendorff, R. Strathmann, D. Reid, and several anonymous reviewers, who provided valuable comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. This is contribution 280 from the Ecology and Genetics Group at the University of Wollongong.


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