Littoraria irrorata, the marsh periwinkle, have the ability to decimate large areas of Spartina alterniflora when populations are not controlled by predation. This trophic cascade has an important role in maintaining the health of salt marshes, and the mechanisms regulating predator-prey relationships are essential in dictating outcomes. Anti-predation behavior is an important aspect of predator-prey interactions, and L. irrorata will preemptively climb S. alterniflora at high tide to avoid neritic predators. Previous research suggested that individual L. irrorata exhibit distinct and repeatable climbing behaviors that are consistent over time, indicating the presence of personality types in this species. The objectives of this study were to 1) further investigate the presence of personality types in L. irrorata and 2) assess whether personality varies by snail size and geographic location. L. irrorata comprising three size classes were collected from VA, NC, SC, and GA, totaling 360 individuals. Individuals were tested three times using experimental trials designed to assess variation in climbing behavior as an index of personality. Individuals were placed in a vertically protracted bucket filled with 4cm of filtered seawater. After 5 minutes of acclimation, the height climbed per individual was recorded every 2 minutes for a total of 10 minutes.
Results/Conclusions
L. irrorata within each geographic region exhibited individual and repeatable behaviors, thus providing strong evidence to support the presence of personality types (i.e., shy vs. bold). Overall, size was not significantly correlated with personality. In L. irrorata, size is a proxy for age, and these findings provide additional evidence to support that an individual’s personality is an inherent characteristic since it is not associated with age or life stage (i.e., juvenile vs. adult). In addition, the distribution of personality types within a population varied significantly across geographic region. Snails from North Carolina climbed on average 5.58cm higher than all other geographic regions. Understanding the natural variation in L. irrorata personality types well help guide future research, including broader ecological impacts due to the effects of personality types on predator-prey relationships and individual fitness.