Population regulation in the land snail Arianta arbustorum: density effects on adult size, clutch size and incidence of egg cannibalism

Oecologia ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Baur
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Population Regulation ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Adult Size ◽  
Egg Cannibalism ◽  
Density Effects ◽  
Arianta Arbustorum

Effects of early feeding experience and age on the cannibalistic propensity of the land snail Arianta arbustorum

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (12) ◽  
pp. 3068-3070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Baur
Keyword(s):  
Land Snail ◽  
Early Feeding ◽  
Vegetable Food ◽  
Egg Cannibalism ◽  
Feeding Experience ◽  
Arianta Arbustorum ◽  
Genetically Determined

The influence of early feeding experience on egg cannibalism was examined in hatchlings of the land snail Arianta arbustorum. The propensity for cannibalism was not affected by cannibalistic or by vegetarian early feeding experience. It was, however, negatively correlated with the age of the snails. Freshly hatched snails with no prior feeding experience chose eggs exclusively, while 16-day-old snails preferred vegetable food. Furthermore, the cannibalistic propensity varied between offspring from different clutches. Restriction of the cannibalistic propensity to the hatchling stage, its nonmodifiability, and differences in its extent between clutches suggest that egg cannibalism in A. arbustorum is a genetically determined trait.

Can Cannibalistic Hatchlings of the Land Snail Arianta Arbustorum Distinguish Between Sib and Non-Sib Eggs?

Behaviour ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Baur
Keyword(s):  
Kin Recognition ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Egg Cannibalism ◽  
Arianta Arbustorum

AbstractIn the field hatchlings of the land snail Arianta arbustorum have been observed devouring eggs from sib as well as non-sib clutches. In the laboratory newly hatched A. arbustorum were tested for their ability to distinguish between eggs of different degrees of relatedness. In these experiments hatchlings did not discriminate between sib, other kin and non-kin eggs. Snails from three populations showed the same egg preferences, but they differed in their propensity for cannibalism. Despite the apparent lack of sib and kin recognition, egg cannibalism in A. arbustorum may be adaptive, even among siblings, because of the nutritional and energetic benefits.

Altitudinal variation in size and composition of eggs in the land snail Arianta arbustorum

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 2067-2074 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Baur ◽  
B Baur
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Carbon Concentration ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Altitudinal Variation ◽  
Arianta Arbustorum ◽  
Carbon Concentrations

Egg size and egg provisioning are crucial for the survival of offspring in invertebrates without postlaying egg care. The effects of elevation and size of the mother on egg size and on nitrogen and carbon concentrations in eggs were examined in eight populations of the land snail Arianta arbustorum over an altitudinal gradient from 370 to 2340 m in Switzerland. The dry mass of single eggs ranged from 1.48 to 2.79 mg and decreased with increasing altitude. Adult snail size (shell volume) also decreased with increasing elevation as did clutch size and reproductive investment (clutch size x egg dry mass) of mothers. Hatching success of eggs varied among populations, but showed no altitudinal pattern. When differences in parental shell size were taken into account, correlations between altitude and egg size, clutch size, and reproductive investment disappeared. Thus, the altitudinal decreases in egg size, clutch size, and reproductive investment were mainly due to smaller snail sizes at higher elevations. The nitrogen concentration in eggs ranged from 3.4 to 4.5% and decreased with increasing elevation. In contrast to egg and clutch size, the altitudinal variation in nitrogen concentration of eggs cannot be explained by differences in snail size. The carbon concentration in eggs ranged from 31.1 to 33.1%, but showed no altitudinal variation. Nitrogen and carbon concentrations in the eggshell and egg fluid in eggs from four populations were examined separately. The nitrogen concentration in the eggshell ranged from 0.7 to 1.8% and was lower than that of the egg fluid (5.1-5.8%). Similarly, the carbon concentration in the eggshell was lower (20.2-22.8%) than that in the egg fluid (35.8-0.2%). Interpopulation differences in egg composition may affect growth, size, and survival of hatchlings and the extent of egg cannibalism in A. arbustorum.

Late-glacial to Holocene transition in northern Spain deduced from land-snail shelly accumulations

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yurena Yanes ◽  
Igor Gutiérrez-Zugasti ◽  
Antonio Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Shell Growth ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Adult Size ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Shell Size ◽  
Juvenile Stages ◽  
Climate Fluctuation ◽  
Extreme Seasonality

AbstractShells of the helicid Cepaea nemoralis were studied using taphonomic, isotopic and morphometric measurements to estimate late glacial–Holocene (~ 12.1–6.3 cal ka BP) environmental conditions in northern Spain. Higher taphonomic alteration among Holocene shells suggests lower sedimentation rates or higher shell-destruction rates than during glacial conditions. Shells preserved the aragonitic composition despite differing degree of skeleton damage. Shell δ13C values were − 10.3 ± 1.1‰, − 8.2 ± 2.3‰, and − 7.3 ± 1.6‰ for modern, Holocene and late-glacial individuals, respectively. Higher δ13C values during the late-glacial and some Holocene periods imply higher water stress of C3 plants and/or higher limestone contribution than today. Intrashell δ13C values were higher during juvenile stages suggesting higher limestone ingestion to promote shell growth. Shell δ18O values were − 1.1 ± 0.7‰, − 0.9 ± 0.8‰ and − 0.1 ± 0.7‰ for modern, Holocene and late-glacial specimens, respectively. A snail flux-balance model suggests that during ~ 12.1 − 10.9 cal ka BP conditions were drier and became wetter at ~ 8.4 − 6.3 cal ka BP and today. Intrashell δ18O profiles reveal that glacial individuals experienced more extreme seasonality than interglacial shells, despite possible larger hibernation periods. Shell size correlated positively with δ18O values, suggesting that growth rates and ultimate adult size of C. nemoralis may respond to climate fluctuation in northern Spain.

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