Page 30 - IPCoSME 2021

1 INTERNATIONAL POSTGRADUATE CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT 2021
st
(IPCoSME 2021)
“Environmental Sustainability Enhancement Through the Collaboration of Sciences”

RB-07

BEHAVIOURAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS TO THERMAL
STRESS OF INTERTIDAL LIMPETS: PATELLOIDA SACCHARINA

(PATELLOGASTROPODA) AND SIPHONARIA GUAMENSIS
(HETEROBRANCHIA) FROM SOUTHERN THAILAND

SUPHATSARA SANGPHUEAK , GRAY A. WILLIAMS AND KRINGPAKA
2
1*
1
WANGKULANGKUL

1 Division of Biological Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand
2 The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of
Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

*Corresponding author email: 6310220036@psu.ac.th

Abstract: Temperature is a major abiotic factor that influences the distribution and abundance
of tropical intertidal organisms. These animals have many behavioural and physiological

adaptations to cope with thermal stress during exposure to a severe environment and enhance
survival until the next tidal immersion. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there

are differences in the vertical distribution patterns, rates of water loss, and cardiac performance

when exposed to high temperatures of two limpets, Patelloida saccharina (Patellogastropoda)
and Siphonaria guamensis (Heterobranchia). They are common grazers found on the rocky

shores of southern Thailand. S. guamensis was found on the high shore, while P. saccharina
was found lower, where the temperature was often cooler. At 50 °C, the rate of water loss of S.

guamensis was higher than P. saccharina. The cardiac performance experiment revealed that

S. guamensis died at a higher temperature (49.0±0.56 °C) than P. saccharina (45.8±0.45°C).
Furthermore, it seems that metabolic depression occurred in the heart rate traces of both species

in this study. Understanding physiological processes may explain varied vertical distribution
patterns on shores and provide some insights into the biology of these two groups of gastropods

that co-occur on tropical intertidal rocky shores.

Keywords: thermal stress, adaptation, desiccation, cardiac performance

30