GASTROPOD PEDAL MUCUS RETAINS SEAWEED PROPAGULES

Using field and laboratory experiments, this study evaluated whether t he pedal mucus of several rocky intertidal species of gastropods from central Chile retained and allowed germination of seaweed propagules. Field-exposed slides coated with mucus retained significantly greater numbers of propagules than uncoated slides, suggesting that the mucus may contribute to propagule attachment in the field. The importance of such an effect, however, would vary with immersion time of the habita t considered, the type of gastropod and the kind of seaweed involved. Comparisons between propagule abundance on uncoated and coated slides indicated that the latter could be used as a spore trapper to document rapid changes of spore abundance in the water column. In addition, co ated slides retained free floating, seemingly detached, developmental stages of various kinds of seaweeds that never appeared in the uncoate d slides used as controls.