Factors controlling protein metabolism and growth in the common limpet Patella vulgata

ORCID

Abstract

The intertidal environment is a complex and highly dynamic ecosystem shaped by the interaction of strong abiotic and biotic factors. Organisms living in this habitat present marked physiological and behavioural adaptations to cope with extreme and fluctuating conditions, which make this ecosystem the perfect natural laboratory to analyse the effects of biological interactions and physical stressors in ectotherm protein metabolism and growth in the field. Patella vulgata’s ability to maintain aerobic metabolism out of the water, its homing behaviour, its high abundance, and wide geographical distribution facilitates the study of ectothermic physiological processes in the field. Despite the importance of protein metabolism and growth in the fitness of an organism, little is known about the factors governing these physiological parameters in intertidal animals. How organisms manage protein metabolism over fluctuating physical conditions is critical for understanding the physiology and ecology of species inhabiting variable environments and for predicting how they will respond to climate change.This PhD thesis analysed the factors affecting growth, protein metabolism, and oxidative stress in the limpet P. vulgata through a series of laboratory and pioneering field experiments. This project successfully validated the use of the flooding dose technique to measure protein synthesis rates in P. vulgata. The results revealed that P. vulgata is highly adaptable, maintaining aerobic metabolism and presumably growing during emersion, thereby demonstrating resilience to temperature extremes. However, body mass growth and protein retention in P. vulgata are compromised under thermal stress in the laboratory. In the field, protein metabolism and in turn growth are regulated by bottom-up factors, such as temperature and food availability, and top-down controls like oxidative stress. Seasonality and shore height both have profound effects on protein metabolism and growth in P. vulgata, with higher protein synthesis and growth rates reported in low shore limpets, increased metabolic activity in spring and higher protein growth rates in summer, coinciding with gametogenesis. The current thesis provides a foundation for future research on the effects of sea surface temperatures on intertidal communities and the understanding of protein metabolism in the main rocky shore grazer in the Northeast Atlantic.

Awarding Institution(s)

University of Plymouth

Supervisor

Keiron Fraser, Benjamin Ciotti, Richard Billington

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

2025

Embargo Period

2026-07-01

Deposit Date

July 2025

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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This item is under embargo until 01 July 2026

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