Dogwhelk

Dogwhelk larvae is a temporary zooplankton that lives on rocky shores. An adult dogwhelk, Nucella lapillus, also called the Atlantic dogwinkle, is an intertidal snail with a solid, conical shaped shell. They generally have about six swollen whorls. The shell is usually about 3cm high and 2cm wide, but may grow up to 6 cm in height. They are usually white, but might also be yellow, brown, or grey, and they sometimes have bands of alternating colors. They lay eggs in which embryos develop outside the mother's body.

Geological Interaction: They are common on the rocky coasts of the North Atlantic, from Long Island north to Greenland in the west, and from southern Portugal north to Iceland, Greenland, Scandinavia, and the Siberian arctic on the eastern side. Does not migrate.

Physical Interaction: Feeds on barnacles and mussels. Dogwhelks on sheltered shores have thicker shells for protection against predators such as crabs. Has a wide aperture to make room for a large foot needed for attachment to rocks in rough tide conditions. Dog whelks on exposed shores have thinner shells. Can survive under all types of tidal strength and wave exposure.

Chemical Interaction: Some have various chromosome numbers, especially dogwhelks that live on different shores.
http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=536

Norwich GL111 Term Project Introductions

As part of our Introduction to Oceanography class this Spring 2011 semester at Norwich University, our group will be researching and presenting on plants and animals that live in an ecosystem called 'The Rocky Shore'.

We have four group members:
patrick mcmahon, chris hein, _name_, and Daniel Taylor

Each member of our group will be reporting on a different marine organism that lives in the rocky shore ecosystem. One will be a zooplankton, one a phytoplankton, one a marine invertebrate, and one a marine vertebrate.

As part of an integrated approach, we will be researching how our organisms interact with the other aspects of the ocean system (geological, physical, and chemical).

***Note to groups:

Once you have accepted the invitation to join this blog, I will check back and grant you admin permissions, you will then be able to edit this post to include your name in one of the placeholders above. (You will also all be able to edit the same post - to add your individual information -- for future assignments).

Your next task is to comment on this post (after you click 'publish post', then click 'view post' and a comment box will be available). Your comment should introduce yourself in more detail, say what you would like, but be sure to at least include your year and major. Also say which marine organism you will be investigating.

Finally, the last person to add should delete these instructions.