Table of Contents

• Coverage
• Dataset Description
  • Methods & Sampling
  • BCO-DMO Processing Description
• Data Files
• Related Datasets
• Parameters
• Instruments
• Project Information
• Funding

Dogwhelks (Nucella canaliculata) were reared in the lab from hatching on four early-life diet treatments (thin-shelled Mytilus trossulus, two treatments of M. californianus from two populations known to differ in adult shell thickness, and acorn barnacles). Adult dogwhelks were outplanted to field cages in July of 2021. The tidal height of each cage was measured relative to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) using a rotary laser level (DeWalt DW071). Five dogwhelks from the same family (i.e., dogwhelks from the same egg capsule cluster) and early-life diet treatment were placed in each of the cages. Prior to the outplant, the length of dogwhelks was measured with digital calipers, the sex was determined with visual inspection, and the snails were individually marked with small tags (Floy Tags). Cages were checked every 8 weeks for the next year. If a dogwhelk was dead, it was replaced with another dogwhelk from the same family by diet treatment. At the end of the experiment, the length of the snails was remeasured.

- Imported original file "Effect of phenotypic variation on dogwhelk morphology during eco-evolutionary field experiment.xlsx" into the BCO-DMO system.
- Flagged "NA" as a missing data value (missing data are empty/blank in the final CSV file).
- Added columns for site Latitude and Longitude.
- Renamed fields/columns to comply with BCO-DMO naming conventions.
- Rounded the "Plot_Tidal_Height" to 5 decimal places.
- Saved the final file as "918546_v1_dogwhelk_morphology.csv".

NSF Award Abstract:
Historically, ecologists regarded evolution as a process that typically acts slowly over very long time scales. However, recent studies suggest that evolution might also shape the way species interact over much shorter timespans, ranging from weeks to years. Are these sorts of rapid feedbacks between evolution and ecology important in marine ecosystems? This project will address this question along the Pacific coast of the United States by studying predatory snails (Channeled Dogwhelks) that feed on California Mussels, an important habitat-forming species on rocky intertidal shores. Prior research shows that some dogwhelk populations are composed of an assortment of individuals that differ genetically in how effectively they can drill through mussel shells. This project will test whether short-term changes in the environment can impose rapid natural selection that favors some of these drilling variants over others, altering the effects that a dogwhelk population has on the surrounding mussel bed. At the same time, this project will examine whether regional differences in mussel shell thickness have influenced the evolution of drilling ability among dogwhelk populations distributed along >900 kilometers of the California and Oregon coasts. Overall, this study seeks to understand the dynamic feedbacks between evolution and ecology that might influence marine communities in the face of changing ocean conditions. This project will train diverse undergraduate and graduate students and will provide the foundation for a significant public outreach component, including the production of accessible video documentaries.

This project seeks to advance our understanding of eco-evolutionary dynamics in the sea by investigating links among oceanographic variation, natural selection, species interactions, and community succession. This project will use the interaction between the Channeled Dogwhelk (Nucella canaliculata) and the California Mussel (Mytilus californianus) as a model system to address two central objectives. (1) The research team will explore how spatial mosaics of selection drive adaptive differentiation among populations of consumers. Newly collected and archived mussels will be analyzed to characterize variation in shell thickness along the coasts of California and Oregon, and to evaluate whether this spatial mosaic has been consistent or variable over the past two decades. Laboratory experiments will test whether dogwhelk populations distributed across this mosaic have diverged in the thickness of shell that they can drill successfully. (2) The research team will examine whether temporal variation in selection on consumer phenotypes shapes predator-prey interactions, with cascading effects on ecological dynamics. In particular, the project will test whether short-term variation in prey recruitment and shell thickness can impose rapid selection on the frequency of drilling phenotypes within a dogwhelk population. A field experiment will also test whether selection on these predator phenotypes in turn alters the trajectory of mussel bed succession.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.