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'· ·v · ,,ASPECTS OF Tlffi BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF .THE CHITON ' . .. ....~ TONICELLA NARMOREA (F!\BRICI(!S·, 1780) . · ( · ,POLYPLACOPHORA ~ MqLLUSCA .. ; .• ,. " . ., ·: : ~, . .... 0 •, ·.·· .. ·' . ~ I ' ~, 0 by ·' . ~ . ·- · ~'-· Colleen sarah Lxnn r<1ercer - clar ke, B. sC: . · (I / ©\ -c-:- \ .• .· " . ( .. •• ,t• ., . , . ·y • C, A'- Thesis· subnii ttea i'n partial f\1lfi+!meht. ..· ·/----. • I of the requirements for the de(jree of. ' .. # ' • ' ; \ Master of Science; ,. .t. ... ·. .' . ' ' ·. ..',·, , \,' .• . OeJ?artm~nt of Biology . '· .. :I .' , . '· ~ernorial· Unive~sity of Newfoundland .• .. • I' August, 1975 , L.- . .. •' .. \ ·'· ·. St . JQhn ' s Newfoundland / I ., . ' , :z : .. I , • l b /. ... ., I • I ~ : .. '"\ \ . ~ . ,. ..... .. _... - ......... .. ... ... .. , .. / .. , I. / •. '· ', . \ I •. -~ ·.~s • ·• . ABSEI'RACT. .. • . , . ' I . \ ';t'he-;'bi<;>lpgy and oehavior ·of the chiton, 'l1,onicella marmorea· . I ~ . } . ' .:, . .' . l - . (Fabric:~us) · was: studied, under both field .and laboratory conditions.· ,, 1 '• • • • • • ' ~ .e • T_. marrnorea is rtbct;urnal and ~OUJl~ ~ply subii-ttorally in' 'Newfoundland I · . waters. studies showed that it·m6veg as much as 200 centimetres I I :M .. ~ ·;. ~n one f~~ding peribd and a mean distance of 35 to 40 centimetres '" · each night . Dai~y observa~ions of ' activ~t:y ?f a popul:ation, made ... '! • . ' .{ during two· expedm~ntal periods of approxi~ately one month ea,ch, .' \' I .,. • ...._ ' ' failed to demons.trate-:any seasqnal pattern in the a~.tivi'ty of th~ <:>rganism. No significant correlab:on wa~ found between the duration • . f of the dark photop'eriod, ·or water ;ernperature and actvi't.~. Act:iv~y. ·I .·, I over a "'twen.ty-four hour·period took ,place .~~iy during the dar~ "l'io~rs>. .. ~ndividual ~pe.cimens became ·active.· just before sunset· and continued . ·. ·. J. · ' .. tp ..move .· for .5. or 6 h~~rs . · Some speci~ens exhib~te.d a 'sec_O:nd peak ' • . .. ,.·. · of activity, mid~ay th,roug·h 'the n~ght, and a t<h.i:rd,· j~st' befor·e · .. .· sunrilie. Tonicella rnarmorea possesses the ability 'to. " h<?rne". to a . .· particular r~sting ~it.e, b~t \as ~ot observed'·.to home regularly to the 'same site. - . c)~ \. .. .I , . ·' I. ',. ... • ...! .. .. ' \ •) . " .. ·'· ' •' '· . ~-· l "\..... \ "·' .... ~ ... / 0 .J . ·. 0. ~ ..... ., ....... :." . .. ·... ... , . ... - . .. .~. ·: ... ,:.,) - ;.. .· -: .... ' , . ~ . ... ·., I ' : . .... ' ,I . ' , •' '.! . I·· '·' . ..· [• ·. • I ··,•I I . ~ ·~.. ./ ·.· ' • l' · I : TABLE COI(I'ENTS . ·. ·or' .. .. I. ./ • . ' · Page ) ' • .·• !. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i TABLE OF GONTENTS. ii LIST OF TKBLES .., . iv vi ., 'l ' ·. CHAPTER I. t I MATE.RIALS '"'.i\No METHODS 3' \ ' 0 •• " S~l.?-dY Areas 3 ' ' ·.. ' ·i ' '\ . • t, Collectidn and Holdin~ ~f . specimens 7 0 •1 a .!.. ·~easuremen t ~nd\T~~'?i~g Predation.. .. 11 . .. -....... ~ - - ' I • ~ ' . il3 .. _. .... ···-· .. -··- - -~ - - ---·- .. ---·.. ~\-.. ; .: ·: L. ~--- . ·--. -- d (a) ,. (b) · ·Geotaxis (p) - · Rh~_ota'.{is .. (d) 'Phototaxis • n •• , Movement ,_.(0'''. '• . ·.· . Q- ' ...'( ,. ,. ·. ·-ii- . .•.,.....~· ·. ; : . .. .. \ .· ,· ~,... · I .' . f . .. .. ,• ' .t" ./ .. .. '•. • ~· ..: .. : ._ • . ' ...: 1 • .• •••••. ,·. ,· .. ·. ' ... I . ..... • . ·...... ... .... <4,.. .. ........ ..... ,, '- •' '·. .. ... • I . .. .. (', .. I .. .· .. .. ·.~ ·. •. , :-. ·. ,I .. ; ,. j·' CHAPTER ...~ ·II .GENERAL IBIOLOGY ~SULTS . ' . I ' .Habitat .descriptio11 .· 20 . Col ouratiori and Size I 23 Predation .. 27 Feedi~g Bt!havior : 28 Reproduc t ion and Deve lopment 29 Genera l .Observati ons · on ·Behavior ... 38 DISCUSSION 42. , .J III BEHAVIOR .AND MOVEMENT. • . RESULTS , I • Response to Stimuli ' . (.a) : Thi_gmota.xis .· (b) Geotaxis · • I (c) .Rheot!axis ... ' (.d) I?J'lo totaxis / . .Move merit ~9 . DI SCUSSI ON 72 ' . IV • .SUMMARY · " 77 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 78 APPENDIX Bl .. ~ . ... ·•' .. ' . .. I . \ -~ · -iii- \ .' ...... .• ·- 0 ' .. •. .· ; f ... ,I .. !•.. \, ... •. ·i } ..• .. ... ' .( \.__ / ~ {~· .. ·' • I ..J/ I · LIST OF TABLES . .. :I . ·f .. .. TABLE ... I ·.1 Sampling sites in tlewf'oundland a'nd Labrador- ~ ·I with' Relative Abundance of Ton.icella marmorea at Each Site . .· I . 5 ·- 2 · ·Cof!lparison of Maximum , Siz~ t n Specim'~n~ jof I ' Tonis;ella marmorea Sampled from Differe~t .. Areas of Newfoundland and ~abrador 26 :# I ~·- . -~ 3 .. / ·· Sizes of SpaWning 'l'onicell ~ marrnorea, : with . · Numbers of OVa Collec ted from Each Female, After One Hour of Spawning I . 32 Size of the OvUm/Zygote ofi Tonicellp marmor·e~ • I ' Four Hours After Spawning 1 • i' •• j i 5' Geotaxic Response of Toni c'ella roarmorea when ' .......··..r .Exposed to Air; With and' Without a ·Dampening Water Cur re'ht · I · · ·· 51 .6 Response of TOnicella mai:Jorea to a · D.i r.ect~orial . ~igh17 Source ; , ' 55 • ' 1 ' . 1' , .. • 7 Hou:r:1y . Activity of a Popui ation' of Toni-cella ma:rmorea from 1630,· Ap:z:il ; 9, to 0930, April. 56 10, 197 4 • . ·I . ·s Fr.equency of Occurrence of Specimens' of 'l'onicella marroorea· at Varying. Distances from t~e ~as~ · oc?up~.e~ · R~r tin~ site. · ., 9 Frequency of 'occurrence o~ Specimens of 'T6nicella ma'rrocsrea on Various Type,s of' 1 Ha~i ~~'t_ ~.':. -the_ _~xp :=er!:..~:::·m~e ~n~t~l~T~a!:!:.!!n~k~s--------:---- _63- · ~. ' '·. 10 T~tal .Daily Activity and ean Ac t i vi ty Per Chiton Per Day for a Popul a tion of Tonicella marmo.rea · for 'the Period November' · 1 to ' ' . Dece~er 7, J..97 3 " ' ·,...·. 66 • •'. r . .. ... •. / . ~ - . c-' .. -iv- I· .,. I ... ·' . ...~ .· ~ I! <:> ' • 0 .. ~ j ··.. ~ ·:· ., . ' )' .: . ..... .i' ~ ~:" .. .... I I, .. )t .1 ~. \ . .. /. ·.•, I I ; :·. •• ?.;/ ..; \ ,'. )' .· i. ;,,, .\ ',.' Total. Daily 1\ctivity.and Mea~ Acd.'vity- P.er·· · .• ·r · ·. 'chitc;n Per Day fi.Or a Population ~f · Toni-cella \ · marmroea for tr,9e feriod Marqh 1~ to April 11~ 67 ·- 1974. I 0 i (• \ I .. .i . 12 Coefficients of ·correlation· o'f ,the ~ean , (, Activity per Specimen of 1Rnic'el 1 ~· marmorea · .. · 'I ,. Per ~ight, . and 'S~ch Fa/ tor'S ·~s Wa~er Temperature .' { : ' Photoperiod Len9th, and Daily. Radiation ·tor 1 r ., Two Activity Study Periqds, ' November/Dece.mber, . f 197 3 and March/April · 70 . I I . ·. ... I ·I . •. I . .· ·' . J . I ..r •,;~"'>.-: I '• l ·;:... I . ·f' ~ ., • \,.;~· I . f ... I I -~ j . ,_r... l .. [• ..·..{.\ I .. .I .. -~ · I ' .. ' ! .· -· I .\ ~ . ' \ ' . .\ . ··: ·, ' :· .. ·. \ I ·•· ..· , • ... 0 • .. .. .. <. • I I ; :. ·. :.1 I l :l... -v.:. .. I I ' I' I I I I .. ~ I \ ~ . .· ..;.; • ' • I' • ·. ' . ·•' ' . .. • J .. ... • I t . l·. ·. I • . • t .· • • f.' LIST OF FIGURES •, ,4.11;, __ _. _ .. t. .~ 1 Location. of Areas-. on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundla~ci· , sampled, for Tonicella marmorea ' 4 ' · · 2 . Loc~tion .of Study Ar~as (~haded) in Dyer'' s ' .. Gulch, Logy Bay~- Newfoundland. 6 ( . <· I 3 Dorsal v.iew _of Toni'cella rnarmox::ea Showing the Parameters of Length and Wi'dth · 9 ..• • ! • l 4 . Dorsal and Lateral Vfews of Tonicella marmorea Shdwi~g the Tagging Method . 12 ' , J .. o5 St:hemati c Drawing of the 'Geotaxic Testing Apparatus Used to oetermi.tte the· Response of Tonicella marmorea to Gravity.,· when Exposed ·· · to ..Air' · ·· · - . 15 .. e. ·\ A Number of -Variations ·in' the Colouration,of spe~imens of Toni cella mamorea · Sampled· from · Sev$ral Locations in New-foundland · / ,. 24 . 7 comparison of the Unusual Aquamarine. Coloura'tion ; . of Tonicella ·marrnbrea Sampied from Michael's Harbour, N. o·,a. , and the · "Norm·a'i". Co lou ration . of Tonicel'la marmorea Sampled frqm Dyer·' s Guich, Logy aay 25 . ' ·· 8 .. 'Illustration of' a Spawning Male Speci.inen of • • 0 t .. Tonicella marmorea 30 . .. 1 \ . .. 9 Microphotograph of Tonicella marmorea Ovum/Zygote ..'. .Taken Four·. Hours After Spawning ·. 33 ' . 19 . Pbases of Larval Development in Tohicella.marmorea 36 ' · -/· r • 11 .Il,l ustration pf tl'~e Spiral·