DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2015.v03i10.012

Pages: 880-885

Marine gastropods are among the most ecologically important and biologically diverse molluscs which has diverse roles. As ocean temperatures rise, gastropods are exposed to changing thermal regimes that can affect metabolism, growth, reproduction, shell formation and survival, with consequences that extend from individual performance to population persistence and community organization. At the ecological level, warming can alter gastropod feeding activity, mobility and predator–prey interactions. In intertidal systems, species already experience large daily and seasonal fluctuations and many show behavioural thermoregulation, shell thickening and shifts in microhabitat use that reduce heat stress. The evolutionary perspective highlights both plasticity and selection. Gastropods are especially informative because many species occupy narrow thermal niches, yet others persist across broad climatic gradients. The physiological tolerance, shell morphology and life-history traits can evolve in response to thermal stress, particularly where populations are isolated or exposed to persistent selection. Ocean warming does not act alone. In many marine environments, it interacts with acidification, hypoxia and habitat disturbance and these stressors may have additive or synergistic effects on gastropods. Shell formation is particularly vulnerable because temperature and carbonate chemistry jointly influence calcification and shell strength. Thus, the future of marine gastropods will depend on the balance between physiological flexibility, evolutionary potential and the intensity of environmental change. Overall, marine gastropods are likely to show uneven responses to warming: some populations will persist through plasticity and adaptation, while others may decline or shift distribution. Their ecological importance means that such changes will have consequences far beyond the animals themselves, affecting food webs, habitat structure and the resilience of coastal ecosystems. T