Nucella canaliculata morphology and drill hole data from experiments conducted at Bodega Marine Laboratory from 2020 to 2021

Abstract

Most predator-prey interactions typically occur over large biogeographic areas with varying abiotic and biotic conditions. If these environmental or biotic gradients are consistent over time they can impose spatially varying selection pressures on the co-evolving predator or prey. Nucella canaliculata is a predatory dogwhelk that inhabits rocky shore ecosystems along the West Coast of North America and preys on multiple barnacle and mussel species by drilling a hole through the shell of their prey. Previous work has documented geographic variation in the ability of N. canaliculata to drill the foundation species, Mytilus californianus. However, the underlying mechanisms and scale of these phenotypic differences haven't been determined. We hatched and raised N. canaliculata from 6 populations, 3 in California and 3 in Oregon, for a year in the laboratory on a common diet of Mytilus trossulus. We then challenged these dogwhelks with a series of M. californianus mussels of increasing size and thickness to identify the largest and thickest mussel drilled for each dogwhelk. There were clear geographic differences in drilling capacity. Dogwhelks from California were able to drill mussels that were substantially larger and thicker than those from Oregon. We are exploring whether selection on drilling capacity is associated with a coastal mosaic of mussel shell thickness and if these differences can influence the dynamics of rocky intertidal ecosystems.

For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/908739