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Population-dispersion in Tellina Tenuis da Costa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

N. A. Holme
N. A. Holme
Affiliation:
Zoologist at the Plymouth Laboratory
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Extract

A population of the lamellibranch Tellina tenuis in the Exe estuary is shown to be uniformly distributed, indicating a significant degree of ‘over-dispersion’.

By plotting the position of each shell in squares of m.2 area it is shown that fewer individuals than would be expected occur less than 1 in. from their nearest neighbour, and none occurs closer than 0·6 in.

When the population density was artificially increased on the shore the same characteristic spacing was found at a moderate density, but not at a rather higher density.

It is suggested that spacing is correlated with the foraging activities of the inhalent siphon on the soil surface.

Very dense populations have been found by Stephen in other areas, indicating that the size of the ‘territory’ does not limit density. His results show no evidence of the same phenomena as observed in the Exe.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , September 1950 , pp. 267 - 280
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1950

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References

REFERENCES

Holme, N. A., 1949. The fauna of sand and mud banks near the mouth of the Exe estuary. Journ. Mar. Biol. Assoc., Vol. XXVIII, pp. 189–237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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