Koch, Volker and Wolff, Matthias ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7458-983X (1996) The mangrove snail Thais kiosquiformis Duclos: A case of life history adaptation to an extreme environment. Journal of shellfish research, 15 (2). pp. 421-432.

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Abstract

This article describes the population ecology of Thais kiosquiformis Duclos, the dominant predatory gastropod of the root system of Costa Rican mangroves. T. kiosquiformis was shown to cope with the extreme living conditions of its habitat (risk of desiccation and overheating through several hours of daily air and sun exposure, strong salinity, and current changes during the tidal cycle) by using the following strategies: ( 1) extremely slow growth (~ 1 mm/y). cessation of growth at the onset of maturity (at ~ 24 mm in shell length), (2) maintaining high interindividual plasticity in growth and shell thickness as a response to abiotical conditions, food availability, and population density, and (3) migrating ontogenetically for the benefit of lowering desiccation and predation mortality. Because of its high density and biomass (192.2 ± 102.4 g wet weight/m²), and the predation pressure it exerts mostly on the barnacles of the mangrove roots, T. kiosquiformis seems to occupy a central role in maintaining the functioning and productivity of mangroves through "cleaning" their root system from the encrusting fauna.

Document Type:	Article
Programme Area:	PA Not Applicable
Research affiliation:	Integrated Modelling > Resource Management
Refereed:	Yes
Open Access Journal?:	No
ISSN:	0730-8000
Date Deposited:	02 Oct 2025 13:03
Last Modified:	02 Oct 2025 13:03
URI:	https://cris.leibniz-zmt.de/id/eprint/5737

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