An Investigation Into the Effect of

Exposure on the Shape of Purple

Topshells.
Oliver Douglas
This project aims to determine whether exposure has an effect on the shape of
11/15/2010
purple topshells, and more specifically the size of their aperture relative to the
size of their shell. Before I began my final project I also conducted two pilot
studies to find out at what height the purple topshells were most abundant, as
well as how many samples I would need to take in my final project. I was initially
drawn to the purple topshell as a subject for my investigation due to its high
abundance on both exposed and sheltered shores and how, unlike other similar
sea snails, its size and microhabitat preference do not vary significantly.
14 November 2010 Oliver Douglas

Rationale
Sea snails are a common cuisine all across the world, be it in Great Britain or
Ireland, or even as far as Africa and Asia where they are considered a delicacy.
Some sea snails are known to have been an important source of food as far back as
7500BC in Scotland. One of the reasons the sea snail is such a popular dish is due
to their high levels of protein, and extremely low levels of fat. On average a raw
snail is about 80% water, 15% protein and only 1.4% fat.() This got me wondering,
where would you go to find the sea snails with the largest foot (the bit we eat) and
whether the size of the foot is affected at all by the exposure of the beach, and so I
decided to conduct my project on the effect of exposure on the size of the foot of
one species of sea snail.

However I was then faced with the problem of choosing which species to use,
fortunately however, on the rocky shores there was one sea snail that stood out on
both the exposed and the sheltered shores. The purple topshell was extremely
abundant on both shores, above and beyond the rough periwinkles and dogwhelks
that were also present on the rocks. This would mean that I would have no problem
in locating individuals to measure. I also found it interesting that whilst the rough
periwinkle avoided the strong waves on the exposed shore by being a lot smaller
than those on the sheltered shore (and as such were able to hide in cracks in the
rocks) the purple topshell did not vary in size significantly. This suggested to me
that the purple topshells were enduring the harsher conditions as opposed to
avoiding them, and so would seem sensible for the topshells to have a larger foot
(which is indicated by the aperture size) relative to its body size (which is indicated
by the shell length) to hold on to the rocks with on the exposed shores. For these
reasons the purple topshell looked to be the most suitable species to conduct my
project on.

Although a larger aperture would render the purple topshell more vulnerable
to desiccation, I believe that due to the continuous spray on exposed shore, this
would not happen. In addition, despite the fact that having a small aperture is
beneficial in preventing predators from accessing the soft innards of the snail, this
also would not be a problem on the exposed shore where crabs, one of the main
predators, do not thrive. For these reasons I believe that purple topshells on the
exposed shore will have a greater aperture/length ratio than those on the sheltered
shore.

Snails are one of the few unmistakable groups of animals. There are four
major groups amongst the larger species on British rocky shores, limpets, whelks,
winkles, and topshells. Whilst limpets and winkles are very distinct, winkles and
topshells can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from one another. Topshells have
a circular operculum whereas winkles have an ear-shaped or sub-oval operculum.

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Topshells have a nacreous layer on the inside of the shell which is most prominent
on the outer lip whereas the winkles do not. The inside of the outer lip is dark or the
same colour as the outer surface. Topshells have a shell that is marked with a
complicated pattern composed of blotches and/or zigzag lines but the winkles have
shells that are uniformly coloured or have broad or narrow bands that run around
the spiral at right angles to the lip.() Purple topshells, unlike other topshells, have a
hollow spiral through the centre of the shell (the hole can be seen when turned
over).This information will help me to identify the correct species in my pilot and
final projects and to help me avoid any anomalous results.

The organs of the topshell that remain permanently within the shell are held
in a bag, called the mantle. The edge of the mantle ends in a flexible collar, known
as the mantle edge. This edge is the location of the topshells various sensory
organs as well as the cells that produce the outer layers of new shell. The inner
layer of the shell however is secreted by the whole outer surface of the mantle. The
body of the topshell is attached to the shell with the columella muscle, which can
also pull the body completely into the shell. The head is pulled back first into the
shell, followed by the foot and finally the operculum, which protects the head of the
snail from any predators. As the head and foot are drawn into the body, much of the
water inside the shell is forced out. Normally the water inside the cavity is wafted
by the cilia on the gill, which creates a water current, pulling fresh sea water into
the upper left side of the cavity, through the gills and then past the excretory
organs on the way out.

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In order to choose which two shores I would use to conduct my investigation I

referred to Ballantine’s exposure scale. It is a biologically defined scale for
measuring the degree of exposure level of wave action on a rocky shore. It was
created by J.W. Ballantine and runs from 1, being extremely exposed, to 8, being
extremely sheltered.()

Hypothesis

Purple topshells on the exposed shore will have a greater aperture/length ratio than
those on the sheltered shore.

Null Hypothesis

There is no statistically significant difference between the aperture/length ratio of

purple topshells on an exposed and on a sheltered rocky shore.

Independent Variable – Exposure

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Dependent Variable – Aperture/Length Ratio

Risk Assessment

• The rocky shore has the potential to be a hazardous environment. The rocks are
often covered with seaweed, which can be extremely slippery and easy to fall on.
On top of that falling over on the rocky shore has the potential to cause serious
injury, with sharp edges and hard rocks. As a precaution I wore wellington boots
with good grip and always walked on barnacle covered rocks when possible, as they
provide addition grip underfoot.

• The tide also poses a potential risk, with it being quite easy to quickly become cut
off from the shore on the rocks. As a precaution I made sure to always have a copy
of the tide schedule for that day as well as a watch so that I was constantly aware of
how much time I had before the tide would reach the height at which I was working.

• It was also quite easy to get lost while moving from beach to beach and back to
field studies centre, through the fields. To make sure I did not lose my way I stuck
to well-known and well-marked routes.

• In addition to all of the above I always stayed in a group of three during the day and
that at least one person in the group had a first aid kit. This meant that should
someone be injured there would be one person able to stay with the incapacitated
and another to head back to the centre to seek aid.

Pilot
As my pilot I decided to prepare for my final project by investigating two
things. Firstly I wanted to find out at what height would be best to take my samples
from in my final project, as well as how many samples I would need to take. To
determine these I employed two techniques. Firstly I conducted an interrupted belt
transect on both the exposed and sheltered shores to find out what height had the
greatest abundance of purple topshells. Secondly I carried out a random stratified
sampling and cumulative mean investigation. This would allow me to determine

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how many samples I would need before their average ceases to fluctuate
significantly, after which any further samples are not needed.

My pilot studies informed me that the height with the greatest abundance of
purple topshells on both shores was 3 metres above chart datum and that I would
need to take 29 samples for my results to be representative.

Interrupted Belt Transect Method

Equipment

1 Metre Ruler

1 Optical Level

1 100cm Square Quadrat

Method

• Firstly I placed my metre ruler at the point where the water level met the
shore. I was able to determine the height of this point using my tide chart for
that day and the time.
• Having noted the initial height down, I aligned my optical level up with the
50cm mark on the metre ruler.
• While looking down the groove, I asked a peer to mark the point which I could
see. This point would be exactly 50cm above the water level.
• I then placed a quadrat there (with the base of the quadrat at the marked
point) and counted the number of Purple Topshells that were present it.
• Having recorded the value, I then repeated the process, proceeding up the
rocky shores at height intervals of 50cm.
• Once I had completed the transect on each shore I plotted a graph of the
results.

Advantages

The advantages of performing an interrupted belt transact are that it allows me to

avoid unrepresentative data. For example purple top shells do not generally inhabit
rock pools. Therefore if there is a large rock pool that would take up most of the
quadrat I can place my quadrat either side of it, provided the height is the same as
the rock pool. The reason that I can do this is because height is the major factor
affecting abundance along the shore.

Graph

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Analysis

As indicated by the graph, 3m above chart datum appeared to be the optimum

height for sampling the purple topshells, with the greatest abundance on both the
rocky and the exposed shore (13 on the exposed shore, and 8 on the sheltered
shore). This was the expected result as I knew that purple topshells were most
abundant in the middle shore (between 2.5 and 5.2m above chart datum) where
interspecific competition is not as harsh as in the lower shore, but the submersion
time is still great enough that extreme adaptations are not required to prevent (or
allow for) substantial water loss. This is important as it will make sure that I will not
have any trouble obtaining my samples in the final project and I will also not have
to spend a great deal of time searching for them.

Random Stratified Sampling & Cumulative Mean Technique

Equipment

• 1 Tape Measure
• 1 Vernier Calliper
• Calculator

Method

Having determined the height at which I would work, I performed a stratified

random sampling technique at a height of three metres on the exposed shore.

• I laid down a tape measure along the rocks that was 3 metres above the
chart datum.
• I then used the Ran# command on my calculator to obtain 35 random
numbers.
• I used these numbers as points on the tape measure, and where the number
was on the tape measure, I measured the dimensions of the nearest purple
topshell.
• To measure the length and aperture of the purple top shells I used Vernier
Calipers
• I repeated this 35 times and then created a table containing my results and
plotted them on a graph.

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Table of Results

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Sample Length (mm) Aperture Aperture/Length Cumulative

Number (mm) Ratio Mean

1 15.3 9.1 0.595 0.595

2 13.3 8.1 0.609 0.602

3 15.3 9.7 0.634 0.613

4 13.2 7.6 0.576 0.603

5 14.0 8.5 0.607 0.604

6 14.0 8.0 0.571 0.599

7 14.9 9.7 0.651 0.606

8 15.0 9.1 0.607 0.606

9 16.2 10.0 0.617 0.607

10 15.2 9.0 0.592 0.606

11 15.2 9.7 0.638 0.609

12 15.0 9.5 0.633 0.611

13 16.1 10.0 0.621 0.612

14 14.7 9.4 0.639 0.614

15 15.6 10.0 0.641 0.615

16 14.5 8.1 0.559 0.612

17 14.4 9.6 0.667 0.615

18 15.0 9.0 0.600 0.614

19 14.4 8.6 0.597 0.613

20 15.0 9.2 0.613 0.613

21 14.8 8.8 0.595 0.613

22 15.0 9.0 0.600 0.612

23 16.0 9.4 0.588 0.611

24 15.0 9.5 0.633 0.612

25 15.7 10.0 0.637 0.613

26 15.8 10.0 0.633 0.614

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Graph
This line is the
final value
multiplied by
On my graph I plotted two lines, one 0.25% above the final value, and the other
1.0025
0.25% below. Once the cumulative mean remained within these boundaries I
plotted a line down from the second value and took this as the number of samples I
would need to take, which turned out to be 29.

This line is the

final value
multiplied by
0.9975

Final Project
For my final project I conducted a random stratified sampling at each shore,
measuring both the length and the aperture size of the purple topshells. Factors I
had to control included:

Variable. Why it needed to be How I controlled it.

controlled.

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Height above chart datum. Different heights
experience different levels
of submersion. This may
have an effect on the
shape of the purple
topshells. For example
further up the shore the
purple topshells may have
smaller apertures to
reduce water loss).
Microhabitat. Purple topshells found in
microhabitats such as rock
pools are always
submersed. This means
there is no problem of
desiccation and as a result
they are likely to have a
larger aperture.
Measuring Technique. Purple topshells do not
have a perfectly regular
shape, and so I would
need to be consistent in
the way in which I
measured the topshells.
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Oliver Douglas
I took all my samples from
the same height above
chart datum. I used an
optical level and metre
ruler to determine the
height, and then laid a
tape measure along the
rocks at that height, and
only measured the
topshells present within a
small distance from the
tape measure.
To control this I did not
sample from rock pools, or
other microhabitats that
would have a significant
effect on the shape of the
purple topshells, to ensure
that exposure was the
only variable I was
changing.
To control this variable as
best as possible, I
measured the length or
topshell and the aperture
in the longest dimension.
Although this is not the
best way to control it, It
was the only realistic
option (see evaluation).
14 November 2010 Oliver Douglas

Species of topshell. There are many different I used the research I

species of topshell on the
rocky shore. Different
species are likely to have
different shapes and so I
needed to make sure I
was only taking samples
of Purple topshells.
carried out to help me
identify the purple
topshells. Purple topshells,
unlike other topshells,
have a hollow spiral
through the centre of the
shell (the hole can be seen
when turned over). In
addition to the above,
their colour is quite
distinctive, a dark blue-
grey/purple colour.

Method

• Using my tide chart for the day and an optical level I measured 3 metres
above chart datum and laid a tape measure down along the rocks at that
height.
• Using a calculator I then generated a random number, and then using the
values as a distance along the tape measure, found a purple topshell closest
to that value, making sure that it was not in a unrepresentative microhabitat,
such as rock pool.
• Using Vernier Calipers I then measured the length and aperture of the
topshell and recorded them in my results table.
• I repeated this 29 times, as my pilot study informed me that I would need to
take this many samples before my data was representative.

Once I have obtained my results I will have to perform a statistical test in order to
assess the reliability of my results. I must perform a statistical test to prove that my
results are significant, in other words, that they did not occur by chance. I will use
the Student t-test to evaluate the reliability of my results, because in my project I
am looking at the difference between two locations, and the student t-test works
best when comparing two different sets of results. For my results to be proved
reliable my statistical test will need to disprove my null hypothesis at the 5%
significance level. This means that 95 times out of 100 the experiment will yield the
same result. The reason we use the 5% significance level is purely conventional in
the scientific community.

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Sheltered Exposed

Sample Leng Apertur Apertur (Apertu Leng Apertur Apertur (Apertu

Number th e (mm) e/Lengt re/Leng th e (mm) e/Lengt re/Leng
(mm) h Ratio th (mm) h Ratio th
Ratio)2 Ratio)2

n Xs Xs2 Xe Xe2

1 13.6 8.0 0.588 0.346 13.0 8.1 0.623 0.388

2 14.6 8.8 0.603 0.363 13.6 8.3 0.610 0.372

3 9.4 6.7 0.712 0.508 14.7 9.5 0.646 0.418

4 14.0 7.9 0.564 0.318 13.6 8.3 0.610 0.372

5 13.9 8.0 0.576 0.331 13.8 9.0 0.652 0.425

6 14.4 7.7 0.535 0.286 12.6 8.6 0.683 0.466

7 12.9 7.4 0.574 0.329 15.0 10.0 0.667 0.444

8 15.3 8.0 0.523 0.273 14.8 9.2 0.622 0.386

9 14.2 8.1 0.570 0.325 13.6 8.1 0.596 0.355

10 13.6 7.2 0.529 0.280 14.3 9.2 0.643 0.414

11 14.2 8.2 0.577 0.333 13.8 9.2 0.667 0.444

12 13.6 7.6 0.559 0.312 14.9 9.8 0.658 0.433

13 14.0 8.0 0.571 0.327 14.1 9.8 0.695 0.483

14 13.9 7.6 0.547 0.299 13.3 8.7 0.654 0.428

15 15.4 8.5 0.552 0.305 14.0 8.0 0.571 0.327

16 13.8 6.9 0.500 0.250 14.2 8.0 0.563 0.317

17 13.6 7.0 0.515 0.265 16.0 9.4 0.588 0.345

18 14.7 7.8 0.531 0.282 14.0 8.9 0.636 0.404

19 15.5 8.1 0.523 0.273 15.0 9.0 0.600 0.360

20 12.2 6.6 0.541 0.293 14.4 8.8 0.611 0.373

21 14.1 7.8 0.553 0.306 14.1 8.8 0.624 0.390

22 14.3 7.7 0.538 0.290 16.0 9.4 0.588 0.345

23 14.8 8.6 0.581 0.338 15.0 9.9 0.660 0.436

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Table

Anomalous Results

My third sample from the sheltered shore, highlighted in red is an anomalous result.
I believe that this individual was most likely very young, due to its small size,
compared to the other results. To confirm my theory I looked at the thickness of the
shell. Young purple topshells produce a much thinner shell than older ones, and as I
had expected, the shell of this individual was significantly thinner than a larger
topshell which I compared it to. I discounted this anomalous result and did not
include it in either my graph or statistical test and instead I obtained another
sample for the sheltered shore. To avoid this from occurring again, I only recorded
the measurements of topshells with a length of greater than 12mm.

Graph

Statistical Test – The t-test

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Calculate the total for each column.

Xs=16.081

Xe=18.059

Xs2=8.931

Xe2=11.279

Calculate the means for Xs and Xe.

Xs=Xsn=0.555

Xe=Xen=0.623

Calculate the variance for each shore.

Ss2=Xs2-(Xs)2nn-1=0.000493

Se2=Xe2-(Xe)2nn-1=0.00187

Finally, using all of the above, calculate the final value for t

t=Xs-XeSs2n+Se2n=2.64

Because my value for ‘t’ exceeds the critical value of 2.021 at 58 degrees of
freedom, I can reject my null hypothesis of ‘There is no statistically significant
difference between the aperture/length ratio of purple topshells on an exposed and
on a sheltered rocky shore’ at the five percent significance level. However since my
calculated ‘t’ value also exceeds the critical value of 2.423 I can also reject my null
hypothesis at the 2% significance level.

Analysis

Looking at table 2 as well as graph 3, there is quite an evident trend in the

shape of the purple topshells with respect to exposure. On average the
aperture/length ratio of the purple top shells was 12.3% greater on the exposed
shore than on the sheltered shore. On an exposed shore there is a significant
amount of wave action that the purple topshells have to endure. To do so I believe
the purple topshells need a stronger muscle to cling onto the rocks with. The size of
this muscle, the foot is limited by the size of the aperture as it needs to be able to
be withdrawn into the shell upon contraction of the columella muscle. Therefore a
larger aperture relative to the size of the shell is indicative of a larger and stronger
muscle to hold the topshell onto the rocks with. Despite the fact a larger aperture

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would encourage water loss and eventually desiccation, on an exposed shore there
is constant water spray from the waves hitting the rocks. I believe the water gained
from the spray would counteract the increased water lost through the larger
aperture. In addition to this, the main predator of the purple topshell, the crab, is
much less abundant on exposed shores, and so the increased risk of predation that
comes as a result of having a larger opening to the soft innards of the snail is not an
issue.

I was able to reject my null hypothesis because my statistical test confirmed to a

2% significance level that there is a statistically significant difference between the
aperture/length ratios of purple topshells on exposed and sheltered rocky shores.
This statistical test means that if I were to repeat the experiment 100 times, 98 of
them the same outcome would be expected.

In conclusion there is a statistically significant difference between the

aperture/length ratio of purple topshells on sheltered and exposed shores. This
means that the topshells with the largest foot are found on the exposed shores, and
so it is better to obtain sea snails from an exposed shore, rather than a sheltered
one.

Evaluation

I believe that my conclusion is sound to an extent. My t-test confirmed that my

results are reliable, however that does not necessarily make the data that I
recorded accurate. One of the major flaws with my method was that the Purple
Topshells do not have a perfectly regular shape. By this I mean that the aperture of
the purple topshells was not always the same shape, and so to take the widest point
as my reading would not always lead to accurate data. For example the size of a
long but thinner topshell is much smaller than that of a topshell that is the same
length, but as wide as it is long. A possible way to have improved this aspect of the
method would have been to use play dough to take a mould of the shell, which I
could then fill with water. I could then have measured the volume of this water with
a measuring cylinder, which would have given me a much more accurate value for
the size of the topshell. I could have also used a similar technique to measure the
aperture. However I Do not think this method would have been entirely suitable for
my project, as I did not have enough time to have created moulds and measured 58
topshells in total.

Another limitation of my experiment was the number of beaches I conducted my

investigation on. To truly identify the effect of exposure on the shape I should have
conducted my investigation on a range of beaches on Ballantine’s exposure scale.
This would confirm whether exposure was the true cause of the change in shape,
rather than another unpredicted factor, such as the populations being in different
stages of the reproductive cycle on each

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