O.K., Here's one thought! Unless they are very light and/or pelagic, dead shells would have to come from pretty close. Weight would cause them to be pretty close to the bottom. Storms could send unusual material up on beaches. But I betcha most of what you find dead on a beach would be live there at some time.
     But what do I know.
         Art


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---- ronald noseworthy <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi, everyone!
>
> While I was preparing a database on the mollusks of Jeju
> Island, I realized that I had a lot of records of dead
> material from the many beaches on this island.
>
> What is the relationship between the dead shells found on
> beaches and the living populations of those species?  Would
> the dead material be an accurate record of the living
> mollusk fauna of the adjacent area?  What exceptions would
> there be?
>
> I have searched the Conch-L archives but found little on
> this subject.  Any assistance you can offer would be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> All the best from Korea!
> Ron Noseworthy
>
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