Waves cue distinct behaviors and differentiate transport of congeneric snail larvae from sheltered versus wavy habitats

Abstract

Marine population dynamics often depend on dispersal of larvae with infinitesimal odds of survival, creating selective pressure for larval behaviors that enhance transport to suitable habitats. One intriguing possibility is that larvae navigate using physical signals dominating their natal environments. We tested whether flow-induced larval behaviors vary with adults’ physical environments, using congeneric snail larvae from the wavy continental shelf (Tritia trivittata) and from turbulent inlets (Tritia obsoleta). Turbulence and flow rotation (vorticity) induced both species to swim more energetically and descend more frequently. Accelerations, the strongest signal from waves, induced a dramatic response in T. trivittata but almost no response in competent T. obsoleta. Early stage T. obsoleta did react to accelerations, ruling out differences in sensory capacities. Larvae likely distinguished turbulent vortices from wave oscillations using statocysts. Statocysts’ ability to sense acceleration would also enable detection of low-frequency sound from wind and waves. T. trivittata potentially hear and react to waves that provide a clear signal over the continental shelf, whereas T. obsoleta effectively “go deaf” to wave motions that are weak in inlets. Their contrasting responses to waves would cause these larvae to move in opposite directions in the water columns of their respective adult habitats. Simulations showed that the congeners’ transport patterns would diverge over the shelf, potentially reinforcing the separate biogeographic ranges of these otherwise similar species. Responses to turbulence could enhance settlement but are unlikely to aid large-scale navigation, whereas shelf species’ responses to waves may aid retention over the shelf via Stokes drift.