Miss Suphatsara Sangphueak1, Professor Gray A. Williams2, Asst. Prof. Dr. Kringpaka Wangkulangkul1
1Division of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand, 2The Swire Institute of Marine Science and Area of Ecology & Biodiversity, The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, , PR China
Limpets in the family Siphonariidae have been documented to be relatively more successful than their Prosobranch counterparts in tropical regions, which has been associated with the fact that they possess both a ‘lung’ and secondary gills, which enable them to exchange gases efficiently in both air and water. To investigate the efficiency of this mode of ventilation, the heart rate performance (as a proxy for metabolic activity) of Siphonaria guamensis (from exposed high shore rocks in Thailand), S. japonica (from mid shore rocks in Hong Kong), and S. laciniosa (from rock and pool habitats in Hong Kong) was investigated under increasing temperatures in air. The higher shore S. guamensis was most tolerant of high temperatures with higher Arrhenius Breakpoint Temperature (ABT), Flatline Temperature (FLT), and maximum heart rates than the two Hong Kong species, despite the fact that maximum rock temperatures were higher in Hong Kong than Thailand. The heart rates of S. japonica and S. laciniosa from Hong Kong were also investigated underwater where ABTs and FLTs were lower than in air for both species. The ABT of S. japonica was also lower than S. laciniosa (both habitats), but there was no difference in FLT. Differences in thermal performance, therefore, varied between species and also habitats the limpets inhabited, as well as the medium they were exposed to, and the fact that all three species were able to maintain higher metabolism in hot and dry air might contribute to the relative success of Siphonaria limpets on tropical rocky shores.
Presentation Slides – Suphatsara Sangphueakk
Biography:
I am a master student under the supervision of Assist. Prof. Dr. Kringpaka Wangkulangkul from Prince of Songkla University in Thailand and Professor Gray Williams from the University of Hong Kong. I am interested in how limpets on tropical rocky shores respond to thermal stress, particularly pulmonate limpets in the genus Siphonaria from both Thailand and Hong Kong. Hopefully, from their thermal performance we will understand better the efficiency of their ventilation mode and their success on tropical rocky shores.
