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Population Structure of Live and Dead Gastropods from Bahia la Choya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2017

Patricia M. Hartshorne ,
William B. Gillespie  and
Karl W. Flessa
Patricia M. Hartshorne
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
William B. Gillespie
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
Karl W. Flessa
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
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Abstract

Size-frequency distributions and size-survivorship curves were constructed for the following seven species of living gastropods from Bahia la Choya: Cerithideamazatlanica, Cerithideaalbonodosa, Cerithiumstercusmuscarum, Nassariusiodes, Nassariusbrunneostoma, Theodoxusluteofasciatus and Tegularugosa. Size-frequency distributions and size-survivorship curves of empty shells of Cerithideamazatlanica and Cerithiumstercusmuscarum were constructed to evaluate the effects of taphonomic processes on survivorship curves.

All size-survivorship curves are convex-up in shape: small size classes show low mortality and mortality increases with increasing size. Despite post-mortem processes, survivorship curves for empty shells mimic the shape of curves based on live individuals.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Paleontological Society Special Publications , Volume 2: Paleoecology and Taphonomy of Pleistocene to Recent Intertidal Deposits, Gulf of California , 1987 , pp. 139 - 149
Copyright
Copyright © 1987 Paleontological Society 

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References

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