The Impacts Of Temperature On Wentletraps And Sea Anemones

Changes in temperature have been shown to impact both individual organisms as well as specie interactions.  Combination of multiple stressors such as temperature and predation, however, have received less attention.  I will examine how temperature impacts sea anemones (Anthopleura elegantissima) and their specialist micro-predator, wentletraps (Epitonium tinctum).  Sea anemone’s derive a large amount of energy from a mutualistic relationship with zooxanthellae; this relationship has been shown to be impacted by temperature.  The impacts of wentletraps on temperature-stressed anemones has not been explored, nor have the direct impacts of temperature on wentletraps. I will conduct a factorial experiments to explore the combined impacts of temperature, food availability, and predation on anemones.  Impacts of anemones will be assessed using morphological measures (mass, color) and molecular methods (assessment of protein degradation).  Experiments were also conducted to determine the impacts of temperature on wentletrap survival.  In the field, surveys were carried out to determine wentletrap population size and density.  Our results suggests this is a common interaction in west coast intertidal communities that may be missed due to size of organisms involved.  Establishing the impacts that temperature has on the interaction between the wentletrap and sea anemone can offer insight on community dynamics in intertidal sites and illustrate how multiple stressor can interact.  These results may be particularly valuable for similar anthozoan-gastropods relationships found in coral reefs around the world.