Olivella minuta is an abundant neogastropod on sandy beaches from Texas (USA) to southern Brazil. This study aimed to characterize and compare the feeding activity and diet of a Brazilian population of O. minuta in different tidal zones (intertidal and subtidal), and different tidal levels (high and low tides), with three combinations of tidal zone and level being studied (intertidal during low tide, intertidal during high tide and subtidal). The results showed that diet composition was generally similar among tidal conditions, with O. minuta being a generalist, feeding on 45 different food items. Feeding activity, however, was higher in the intertidal during low tide, whereas the richness and diversity of food items were higher in the intertidal during high tide. The higher feeding activity of O. minuta during low tide may be linked to a lower risk of predation; at low tide organisms may be able to feed for a longer time, and this may be particularly true on beaches with fine sand, where water retention is higher than that on beaches with coarse sand. The higher diversity of food items consumed in the intertidal during high tide is likely related to the increased prevalence of planktonic food during high tide. Our results indicate that tidal zone and level may strongly influence the feeding activity of coastal soft-bottom species and that species may show higher feeding activity during low tide. Given the current loss of intertidal habitats due to anthropogenic activity and climate-change associated factors, our study has important implications, highlighting the importance of intertidal areas for the ecology and conservation of sandy beach species.

中文翻译：

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空腹潮汐时的肚子饱：潮汐周期影响着腹足纲腹足纲Olivella minuta的摄食活动和饮食

从美国德克萨斯州到巴西南部，Olivella minuta是一种富含新腹足类动物的沙滩。这项研究旨在表征和比较巴西潮虫在不同潮带（潮间带和潮下带）和不同潮汐水平（高潮和低潮）的摄食活动和饮食，其中潮汐带和水位的三种组合为研究（低潮时潮间带，高潮时潮间带和潮下带）。结果表明，潮汐条件下的饮食组成通常相似，其中O. minuta是一名通才，以45种不同的食物为食。然而，在退潮时潮间带的进食活动较高，而在涨潮时潮间带的食物丰富度和多样性较高。小uta的较高摄食活性在退潮期间可能与较低的捕食风险有关；在退潮时，生物体可以更长的时间取食，在细沙海滩上的保水率要比在粗沙海滩上高。涨潮期间潮间带消费的食物种类较高，可能与涨潮期间浮游食物的流行有关。我们的结果表明，潮带和潮汐水平可能强烈影响沿海软底物种的摄食活动，而这些物种在退潮时可能显示较高的摄食活动。鉴于当前的人为活动和气候变化相关因素造成的潮间带栖息地丧失，我们的研究具有重要意义，