Temporal and spatial trends in drilling predation on Crepidula in the U.S. coastal plain
- UNCW Author/Contributor (non-UNCW co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Heyward M. Key (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW )
- Web Site: http://library.uncw.edu/
- Advisor
- Patricia Kelley
Abstract: A comprehensive study of drilling predation by naticid and muricid gastropods on prey species
belonging to the gastropod genus Crepidula was conducted for Plio-Pleistocene mollusc
assemblages from the Atlantic Coastal Plain of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and
from the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain of Florida. Muricid and naticid drilling frequencies in
the study area steadily decreased from the middle Pliocene to the late Pliocene and then rose
significantly into the Pleistocene, following the Plio-Pleistocene mass extinction. Spatial
comparisons of drilling frequencies revealed that drilling predation was more intense in higher
latitudes than in lower latitudes. Drilling frequencies on Crepidula were inversely correlated with
prey effectiveness (the ratio of incomplete drillholes to total attempted drillholes). Prey
effectiveness gradually increased in the Pliocene and decreased significantly following the Plio-
Pleistocene extinction. Prey effectiveness was generally higher in lower latitudes than in higher
latitudes. Temporal and spatial trends in predation intensity and prey effectiveness appear to be
influenced by competition. Low drilling frequencies and high prey effectiveness were correlated
with intense competition because competition increases the likelihood of drilling being
interrupted. Muricids and naticids were highly selective with respect to drillhole site on the
prey’s shell for Pliocene and Pleistocene samples in both of the study areas. Predator-prey
interaction between drilling muricid and naticid gastropods and the gastropod genus Crepidula
provided some evidence for escalation, but did not support coevolution.
Temporal and spatial trends in drilling predation on Crepidula in the U.S. coastal plain
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- A Thesis Submitted to the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science
- Language: English
- Date: 2009
- Keywords
- Geology--Florida, Geology--North Carolina, Geology--Pleistocene, Geology--South Carolina, Geology--Virginia, Geology, Stratigraphic--Pliocene
- Subjects
- Geology, Stratigraphic -- Pliocene
- Geology -- Pleistocene
- Geology -- Virginia
- Geology -- North Carolina
- Geology -- South Carolina
- Geology -- Florida