Graduation Date
Fall 2023
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Biology
Committee Chair Name
Erik Jules
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Emily Jones
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Cascade Sorte
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Fourth Committee Member Name
Paul Bourdeau
Fourth Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Subject Categories
Biology
Abstract
The effects of climate warming on the distribution of range-expanding species are well documented, but the interactive effects of climate warming and range-expanding species on recipient communities remain understudied. For example, with climate warming, range-expanding species may become a threat to local biodiversity due to their relatively stronger competitive or predatory effects on potentially weakened, or less well-adapted recipient communities. Acanthinucella spirata is a predatory marine gastropod that has expanded its distribution north along the California coast since the Pleistocene via a poleward geographical range shift, tracking climatic warming. To assess whether A. spirata has stronger predatory effects on the recipient community in their expanded range and is better suited to the warming conditions than a local predatory snail, I used a combination of field and laboratory studies to examine the feeding activity of A. spirata and a local predatory whelk (Nucella lamellosa) on shared prey on Cape Mendocino under ambient and elevated conditions. From a series of field surveys, I concluded that A. spirata is a potential competitive threat to N. lamellosa, due to its high local abundance, overlapping habitat, and shared prey on Cape Mendocino. In the laboratory experiment, I observed that A. spirata was a more efficient consumer of barnacles than N. lamellosa overall and ate significantly more barnacles than N. lamellosa under warmer conditions. As climate change continues, environmental conditions will become more stressful for all species; however, range-expanding A. spirata populations may be at a competitive advantage relative to N. lamellosa, as they exhibit greater abundances and a higher feeding rate at warmer temperatures than the local whelk.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
McCann, Bailey N., "Will climate warming amplify the competitive and predatory effects of a range-expanding marine gastropod (Acanthinucella spirata)?" (2023). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 706.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/706