Local Selection and Latitudinal Variation in a Marine Predator-Prey Interaction

Although pairs of species often interact over broad geographic ranges, few studies have explored how interactions vary across these large spatial scales. Surveys along 1500 kilometers of the Pacific coast of North America documented marked variation in the frequency of predation by the snail Nucella...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2003-05, Vol.300 (5622), p.1135-1137
Main Authors: Sanford, Eric, Roth, Melissa S., Johns, Glenn C., Wares, John P., Somero, George N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal behavior
Animal behaviour
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Bivalvia - physiology
Brackish
California
Capsules
Coasts
Drilling
Ecology
Ecosystem
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene flow
Genetic aspects
Genetic Variation
Genetics
Genetics, Population
Individualized Instruction
Laboratories
Marine
Marine ecology
Mollusks
Mussels
Mytilus californianus
Nucella canaliculata
Pacific Ocean
Population genetics
Predation
Predatory Behavior
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Selection, Genetic
Snails - physiology
Species
Species (Biology)
Washington
Whelks
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Summary:Although pairs of species often interact over broad geographic ranges, few studies have explored how interactions vary across these large spatial scales. Surveys along 1500 kilometers of the Pacific coast of North America documented marked variation in the frequency of predation by the snail Nucella canaliculata on the intertidal mussel Mytilus californianus. Laboratory rearing experiments suggest that regional differences in drilling behavior have a genetic basis, and mitochondrial sequence variation confirms that gene flow is low among these snail populations. Marine communities separated by hundreds of kilometers may have intrinsically different dynamics, with interactions shaped by restricted gene flow and spatially varying selection.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1083437