Survival and activity of the oyster drill Urosalpinx cinerea under conditions of fluctuating salinity

The effects of fluctuating salinities on the survival and activity of Urosalpinx cinerea (Say) from the James River, Virginia, USA, were observed and compared to results of similar studies at constant salinities. All experiments were conducted at summer temperatures. The lower extremes of salinity fluctuations, especially values below 9, had the greatest effect on mortality; the upper extremes may have delayed, but did not reduce, mortality. There was a characteristic 10-day mortality-free period at the start of the fluctuating salinity experiments. Mortality patterns were much different in constant salinities, where the first 2 weeks of exposure were characterized by highest mortalities. In both types of experiments, drill activity, measured by attachment, feeding, and oviposition, increased as salinities increased above lethal levels (greater than a minimum of 9). Fluctuating salinities, which approximated field conditions, affected drills differently from constant salinities and were, therefore, more realistic for study of these estuarine organisms.Contribution No. 543, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, submitted by the senior author to the School of Marine Science of the College of Williams and Mary, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree.