Understanding the drivers of phenotypic variation is key to disentangling the evolutionary and environmental forces that shape patterns of trait variation within and among populations. In Dungeness crab, settlement‐stage megalopae exhibit striking seasonal variation in body size, with early season cohorts consistently larger than later ones. This pattern may result from genetically distinct larval sources or environmentally in...

We report the first field confirmation of a mechanistic model predicting fine‐scale temporal dynamics of wave dislodgment, an important disturbance process structuring many temperate rocky intertidal communities. A biomechanical approach is used to predict the frequency and severity of mussel dislodgment from wave‐swept shores in Rhode Island over a 3‐yr period. Using inputs of wave height and mussel attachment, the model corr...