Growth in the limpet Nacella concinna from contrasting sites in Antarctica

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: Clarke, A., Prothero-Thomas, E., Beaumont, J. C., Chapman, A. L., Brey, Thomas
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2004
• Subjects: Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Arthur Harbour; Nacella; Palmer Station; Palmer-Station; Rothera; Rothera Point; Signy Island; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Biology
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/10619/; https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/10619/1/Clarke04_PolBiol28.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-004-0647-8; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.21096; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.21096.d001

Annual shell growth was determined by mark and recapture in the limpet Nacella concinna (Strebel 1908) at two contrasting sites in Antarctica. At Signy Island, 60°S, growth was moderately fast, comparable with some limpets in more temperate areas. The fluorescent calcium marker calcein was used to validate the results from the mark/recapture study, and fine-scale growth increments showed that shell growth was seasonal. Further south at Rothera Point, 67°S, mean annual growth over a 3-year period was significantly slower than at Signy, and in 1 year was the slowest yet reported for a limpet. Comparison with an earlier mark/recapture study at Arthur Harbour, Palmer Station (64°S) revealed a cline of decreasing growth performance with increasing latitude along the Antarctic Peninsula. It is not clear whether the slower annual growth rate at higher latitude was caused by physiological constraints, a reduced length of growing season, or a combination of both. Limpets show a global cline in growth performance, which decreases towards higher latitudes.