The Effect of Aerial Exposure Temperature on Balanus balanoides Feeding Behavior

The impact of climate change on many different ecosystems is a growing concern. Intertidal filter feeders, such as barnacles, play an important role in repairing the water quality and contributing to the stability of the ecosystem. This experiment aimed to look at the effect of different aerial exposure temperatures on Balanus balanoides feeding behaviors. Barnacles were exposed to 4°C, 12°C, and 20°C air for a 6 hour period and then re-submerged for 2 hours. Feeding rate, percent feeding, and spatial distribution of feeding barnacles were observed. The results showed that warm (20°C) and cool (4°C) exposed barnacles had much lower average feeding rates than the control and 12°C exposed barnacles. The feeding rates of the 12°c exposed barnacles and the control barnacles tended to be 30-50% greater than the other two treatements.The warm and cool exposed treatments also showed a decrease in the percent of barnacles feeding. This is thought to be due to physiological stress caused by the avoidance of desiccation and freezing and a lowering of metabolic rate in the cool-exposed barnacles. There were no significant effects of aerial exposure temperature on the spatial distribution of feeding barnacles.