Validation of a planimetric procedure to quantify stress in Littorina littorea (Gastropoda: Mollusca) : is it independent of the reproductive cycle ?

This study forms part of a larger project in which five planimetric parameters have been used to study changes in the digestive epithelium of Littorina littorea under different environmental and physiological conditions. Our aim was to examine the effect of the reproductive cycle on these parameters in order to assess their usefulness as indicators of stress.