Littorina littorea growth

The growth patterns of L. littorea are shown in Figure 1, A and B. The snails’ growth rate ()correlates negatively with both the individual shell size at the beginning of the growth season (d₀) and with snail age.

Infestation with Himasthla sp. did not cause any significant changes in snail growth rate as a function of diameter (Figure 1, A; t₃₆=2.02; P>0.05) or as a function of age (Figure 4, B; t₂₆=2.05; P>0.05). The growth rate of L. littorea infected with R. roscovita significantly (t₃₁=2.03; P<0.05) decreased in comparison with uninfected snails of the same diameter (Figure 1, A). Similar aged snails showed no significant differences in growth rate (t₃₀=2.04; P>0.05) (Figure 1, B). In contrast, both similar sized and similar aged L. littorea infected with C. lingua displayed significantly (t₃₉=2.02; P< 0.05 and t₃₈=2.03; P< 0.05) increased growth rates (Figure 1, A, B).