Variation in feeding rate of the intertidal mudsnail Hydrobia ulvae in relation to the tidal cycle

Deposit feeding in the coastal epibenthic mudsnail Hydrobia ulvae, as estimated by egestion rate, varies in relation to the tidal cycle. In nature, feeding is maximal when the snails are covered by tidal water; after exposure, feeding reduces slightly but significantly whilst the sediment surface remains damp; and it is minor or ceases whilst the snails are buried in pits in the drying sediment. Within each of these three phases, however, egestion rate remains unchanged both in relation to phase duration, and with temperature over an ambient range of 18–30 °C (mean 24 °C). These findings form another example of disagreement between field and laboratory results on feeding in Hydrobia.