Phenotypic Plasticity and Induced Defenses in Marine Gastropods
Summary
Marine gastropods exhibit a remarkable capacity to modify their morphology, physiology and behaviour in response to environmental challenges, a phenomenon collectively known as phenotypic plasticity. In predator‐rich habitats, many species develop thicker or more rotund shells, reinforced apertures or altered shell ornamentation, thereby enhancing resistance to crushing or drilling predators. Behavioural defences include climbing vegetation or engaging in refuge‐seeking movements under predation risk. These inducible traits are often triggered by chemical cues released by predators or damaged conspecifics, enabling snails to balance resource allocation between growth, reproduction and defence. Plastic responses may vary among populations according to local predation regimes or hydrodynamic forces, and can have both genetic and environmental components. By shaping community interactions and influencing survival under shifting ecological pressures, phenotypic plasticity and induced defences in marine gastropods play a central role in benthic ecosystem dynamics, resilience to climate change and the management of invasive species.
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Phenotypic Plasticity and Induced Defenses in Marine Gastropods publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in phenotypic plasticity and induced defenses in marine gastropods across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Phenotypic plasticity: The capacity of a single genotype to produce different phenotypes in response to environmental conditions.
Induced defence: A trait that is produced, enhanced or activated in direct response to a detection of predation risk or other stressors.
Reaction norm: The pattern of phenotypic expression of a genotype across a range of environmental conditions.
Common‐garden experiment: A study design in which individuals from different populations are reared under identical conditions to assess genetic versus environmental contributions to trait variation.
References
- Plastic and Heritable Variation in Shell Thickness of the Intertidal Gastropod Nucella lapillus Associated with Risks of Crab Predation and Wave Action, and Sexual Maturation. PLOS ONE (2012).
- Periwinkle climbing response to water- and airbone predator chemical cues may depend on home-marsh geography. PeerJ (2018).
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