Reproduction and Ecology of the Hermaphroditic Cockle Clinocardium nuttallii (Bivalvia: Cardiidae) in Garrison Bay

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Abstract
In this 1st description of the hermaphroditic reproductive cycle of the cockle, C. nuttallii, male and female follicles are shown to develop in phase with each other. The gametes of both sexes are spawned about the same time. The cockles in Garrison Bay spawn from April-Nov., usually in the 2nd yr, but for a small segment of the stock a potential exists to spawn in the 1st yr of life. Density, growth rate, patterns of mortality and other ecological factors are discussed in relation to the evolution of bisexual reproduction. The central driving forces toward bisexual reproduction are the combination of environmental unpredictability and predatory pressure, where no refuge in size exists to guide the allocation of energy between reproduction and growth.

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