Limpets are marine gastropods that are covered by a shell and live on rocky shores (see Figure 1). They are well known for their tenacious ability to cling onto rocks, and will often return to the same spot on the rock (the home scar) after feeding excursions. Other molluscs, such as oysters and mussels, are celebrated as important ecosystem engineers that provide valuable ecosystem services to humans. However, little is known about the importance of limpets in either capacity.
Ecosystem engineers are organisms that change their environment by creating new habitats or altering existing ones. Think of them as the ‘habitat formers’ or ‘habitat modifiers’ of the natural world. Trees are a good example of habitat-forming ecosystem engineers, and beavers are an example of habitat-modifying ecosystem engineers (see Biological Sciences Review Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 12–15). While limpets are not typically recognised as ecosystem engineers, they absolutely are.
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