Abstract
Climate change-induced population declines of highly abundant intertidal
invertebrates will affect ecosystem function and stability, but it is not
fully understood which species are most vulnerable to these declines.
Rocky intertidal Tegula snails live at different tidal heights and exhibit
variability in heat tolerance, but the temperatures these different
species experience in the field, and thus which species are most
susceptible to climate change, remains unknown. Here, we use HOBO data
loggers to record field temperatures in the unique thermal habitats of
Tegula eiseni, Tegula funebralis, and Tegula gallina in San Diego,
California. Determining the maximum temperatures each Tegula species is
exposed to in the field will ultimately inform conservation efforts by
identifying which Tegula species are most threatened by heat stress.