Summary
In a colony of the land snail Theba pisana the frequency of effectively unhanded shells is higher in exposed habitats than in adjacent thickets of Acacia bushes. Sampling over four years at a boundary between these habitats showed that the degree of association of morph frequencies with habitat varies seasonally and among years. Mark-recapture studies indicate that this variation results largely from a net movement of snails from the sheltered habitat during winter, and to the sheltered habitat for summer aestivation. Effectively unbanded individuals are less likely than fully banded individuals to move into the Acacia thicket for aestivation. This difference in habitat choice increases the difference in morph frequencies between sheltered and exposed habitats, and increases the probability of maintaining a stable polymorphism in a heterogeneous environment.
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Johnson, M. Effects of migration and habitat choice on shell banding frequencies in Theba pisana at a habitat boundary. Heredity 47, 121–133 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1981.65
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1981.65
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