The Sex Lives Of Deep Sea Limpets

Understanding how deep sea limpets reproduce can help to predict how they will respond to environmental changes.

AsianScientist (Jun 9, 2014) – Researchers in Japan now have a better understanding of the ecological adaptations of deep sea limpets in the Okinawa Trough, including how they reproduce. Led by Dr. Masako Nakamura at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan, the study has been published in Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Lepetodrilus nuxon is the most abundant and widespread variety of deep-sea limpets found in the Okinawa Trough, which is a narrow seabed feature of the East China Sea. Articulating the life history traits of organisms in such environments – which are known as benthic zones – is crucial to understanding the population and distribution dynamics of marine life.

The scientists collected L. nux samples from four different hydrothermal vents in the Okinawa Trough, and used these to study shell lengths, genetic variability, and fertilization. In addition to uncovering new limpet habitats, they were able to show that the limpets utilised a continuous, internal fertilization process, after which the eggs would be released into the sea drift to find new homes. These findings explain the extensive if scattered distribution of L. nux in volatile deep-sea vents, and suggest that the organism is an opportunistic colonizer.

The researchers hope that their work will lead to a greater understanding of the spread of marine life in the world’s oceans.

The article can be found at: Nakamura et al. (2014) Life history traits of Lepetodrilus nux in the Okinawa Trough, based upon gametogenesis, shell size, and genetic variability.

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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: OIST.
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Yamini graduated with a bachelors degree in biomedical sciences from the University of Manchester, UK. She has a passion for science and how it is perceived by the wider community.

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