Predator-prey relationships of naticid gastropods and their bivalve prey.

摘要

The purpose of my study was to determine if selective predation by naticid gastropods was correlated with adaptive evolutionary responses among their preferred prey. The two morphological characters that I used and that are measurable in both modern and fossil assemblages are prey shell thickness and shell length. These characters are known to affect the success of naticid predation.; I calculated predation intensities and efficiencies, assessed selectivity, determined length-thickness trends in bivalves through time and performed logistic regressions (to measure selection differentials) in order to test my hypothesis. My results indicate that, for some prey genera, predation by naticids have affected the morphological evolution of their bivalve prey. These prey showed a borderline significant selection differential and their shells had significantly increased in thickness over evolutionary time. This research will give important insights into the dynamics of predator-prey systems and how they evolve over time.