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Natural selection on the polymorphic snail Hygromia striolata
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  • Published: 01 August 1974

Natural selection on the polymorphic snail Hygromia striolata

  • J S Jones1,
  • D A Briscoe2 &
  • Bryan Clarke3 

Heredity volume 33, pages 102–106 (1974)Cite this article

  • 568 Accesses

  • 6 Citations

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Summary

Hygromia striolata (C. Pfeiffer) is polymorphic for shell and mantle colour. Thirty-two samples were taken from natural populations in the region of Malham, Yorkshire. The samples were taken in pairs, one member of each pair from a habitat with a relatively dark background and one from a nearby habitat with a relatively light background. In general, samples from “darker” habitats had higher proportions of the dark-shelled and dark-bodied morphs. These associations are highly significant, and they can most easily be explained in terms of visual selection by predators.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, University of London, 8 Hunter Street, London, WC1N 1BP

    J S Jones

  2. Department of Genetics, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JT

    D A Briscoe

  3. Department of Genetics, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 RD

    Bryan Clarke

Authors
  1. J S Jones
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  2. D A Briscoe
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  3. Bryan Clarke
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Cite this article

Jones, J., Briscoe, D. & Clarke, B. Natural selection on the polymorphic snail Hygromia striolata. Heredity 33, 102–106 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1974.71

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  • Received: 14 February 1974

  • Issue date: 01 August 1974

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1974.71

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This article is cited by

  • Natural selection on the colour polymorphisms of Trichia hispida (L.)

    • P R Shelton

    Heredity (1984)

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