Ah, but the growth slowdowns tend to be fairly regular. This suggests fairly
regular timing.

Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dr.
David Campbell
Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2005 4:59 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: age of collectible shells?


> I have been curious for a long time about how long Rangia cuneata, the
> common bay clam, lives in estuaries along the Gulf of Mexico. A large
> shell
> shows a few periods of growth slowdown, perhaps five to seven. Does
> anyone
> know whether this corresponds to the number of years of growth?

I don't know if anyone has looked, but living in such a variable habitat
would be likely to generate growth slowdowns at various times (too fresh,
too salty, too cold, too hot, etc. depending on the tolerances of the
species).


--
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections Building
Department of Biological Sciences
Biodiversity and Systematics
University of Alabama, Box 870345
Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0345  USA

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