Abandoned Seabird Eggs as a Calcium Source for Terrestrial Gastropods

Birds’ use of terrestrial gastropods to supplement calcium for egg formation has been well documented, but the reverse, gastropods using avian eggshells as a calcium source, has not been recorded previously. We collected Arctic Tern, Sterna paradisaea, eggs, abandoned in July 2006, that were found t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Canadian Field-Naturalist
Main Authors: Bond, Alexander L., Diamond, Antony W.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club 2007
Subjects:
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea
White-lip Gardensnail
Cepaea hortensis
Glossy Pillar
Cionella lumbria
calcium
eggshell
New Brunswick
Arctic
Pillar
Arctic tern
Online Access:https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/521
https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v121i4.521
Description
Summary:Birds’ use of terrestrial gastropods to supplement calcium for egg formation has been well documented, but the reverse, gastropods using avian eggshells as a calcium source, has not been recorded previously. We collected Arctic Tern, Sterna paradisaea, eggs, abandoned in July 2006, that were found to have many terrestrial gastropods on the surface, and it appeared as though the outer eggshell layers were removed. Using scanning electron microscopy, we compared “grazed” and “ungrazed” sections of the same shell with eggshells collected in 2005 that were not attended by snails. It appears as though the snails removed the outer eggshell layers, presumably to supplement their own shell growth.

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