Ecology and Diversity of Apple Snails

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2019) | Viewed by 3525

Special Issue Editor

Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX, USA
Interests: freshwater; mollusks; diversity; molecular approaches; conservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Diversity of form and function in apple snails (Family Ampullariidae) varies across cryptic species to well-known agricultural pests. This group of snails plays several key ecological roles in their native subtropical and tropical ranges (e.g., prey, grazer/herbivore, intermediate host, etc.), but can also dramatically disrupt habitats in which they invade. Facilitated by anthropogenic connections, we have seen a considerable rise in interest about these snails as they cross into the domains of both agriculture and aquaculture. Recently, a number of comprehensive reviews emerged on the biology (Hayes et al. 2015), diversity (Cowie 2015) and management of apple snails (Joshi, Cowie and Sebastian 2017). Although evidence often exists to indicate more than one species present, the majority of the research only includes Pomacea canaliculata. Furthermore, literature on apple snails appears in any number of diverse outlets. This Special Issue provides a venue to highlight new research that enhances our understanding regarding: i) the identity, diversity and distribution of apple snails; ii) the impact that any species of apple snail makes on native and non-native environments; and iii) the effect of human activities (e.g., land-use change, conservation measures, climate change) on apple snail populations, diversity, distributions, or ecosystem function.

Dr. Romi L. Burks
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 2487 KiB  
Article
Contrasting Patterns of Pomacea maculata Establishment and Dispersal in an Everglades Wetland Unit and a Central Florida Lake
by Silvia M. M. Gutierre, Philip C. Darby, Patricia L. Valentine-Darby, David J. Mellow, Michel Therrien and Miranda Watford
Diversity 2019, 11(10), 183; https://doi.org/10.3390/d11100183 - 01 Oct 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3075
Abstract
The spread of non-native species raises concerns about native species displacement, while other negative effects on native species (e.g., habitat degradation) should also be considered. The highly invasive non-native apple snail Pomacea maculata has raised such concerns as it has become established in [...] Read more.
The spread of non-native species raises concerns about native species displacement, while other negative effects on native species (e.g., habitat degradation) should also be considered. The highly invasive non-native apple snail Pomacea maculata has raised such concerns as it has become established in a wide range of aquatic systems worldwide. While monitoring native Florida P. paludosa populations in Lake Tohopekaliga (LTOHO) from 2001 to 2009 and in Water Conservation Area 3A (WCA3A, Everglades) from 2006 to 2015, we opportunistically documented the establishment and distribution of P. maculata. We estimated snail densities and recorded egg cluster presence in three study sites (12 total plots, LTOHO) and 137 sites (WCA3). On LTOHO, native snails were absent or at very low densities prior to finding P. maculata. Few snails of either species were found in high-stem-density vegetation of the littoral zone. Pomacea maculata immigration into the littoral zone occurred following managed vegetation removal, and Hydrilla verticillata proliferation in LTOHO likely contributed to the spread of P. maculata. We found both native and non-native apple snail species in many WCA3A sites following P. maculata invasion. We initially found the non-native snail in two sites in southern WCA3A; they were mostly restricted to within three kilometers of initial sites over the next four years. Overall plant community compositions in LTOHO and WCA3A appeared less impacted than expected based on previous reports of P. maculata invasions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology and Diversity of Apple Snails)
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