Abstract
Reproductive portions of Tegula funebralis (A. Adams) populations are shown to be immune to seastar predation through a combination of predator preference for larger snails and a withdrawal behavior that favors the escape of smaller snails after capture by a seastar. Experimental addition of Pisaster ochraceus (Brandt) in winter causes changes in the intertidal distribution of Tegula funebralis similar to those observed during the summer increase in seastar numbers. It is suggested that these results supplant the hypothesis that lowered prereproductive mortality influences formation and maintenance of vertical size gradients in the lower intertidal zone.
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