Due to the minimal dispersal capabilities and dependency on particular microhabitat, the land snails are susceptible to anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Considering the increasing anthropogenic threats, especially in urban areas, information on species’ requirements for particular habitat is very essential for land snail conservation and sustenance. In the present commentary, diversity and distribution of small-sized land snails in relation to their microhabitat preference in urban habitats of Kolkata, West Bengal, had been carried out through the quadrat method. The information on the richness and abundance of snails and their habitat places in Kolkata, India, was used to construct a bipartite network. A total of 13 land snail species were linked with 16 microhabitats. The network indices were used to justify the specialist or generalist nature of the snail species in the context of microhabitat preference. The snail species Succinea daucina and Allopeas gracile were observed to be associated with the maximum number of habitats while species strength was highest for S. daucina. The low value of connectance (0.288, <0.5) and niche overlap (0.34), the high value of specialization index H2′ (0.58) and d′ (0.44) indicate that the snail–microhabitat interactions were highly specialized. The network ecology of snail–microhabitats illustrated in the present instance will enable the identification of preferred microhabitats, which are required for the enhancement of the population of land snails in urban areas like Kolkata, India.
The predatory snail Huttonella bicolor (Hutton 1834) (Gastropda: Streptaxidae) was encountered along with Allopeas gracile (Hutton 1834) (Gastropoda: Subulinidae) during a survey of small land snail species from several terrestrial habitats in Kolkata, India. An evaluation of the predation of H. bicolor as a function of prey size and predator density was carried out using A. gracile as a model prey snail. The predatory interactions were noted with an increasing ratio of 1, 2 and 4 H. bicolor against 10 A. gracile of varied size classes in a defined terrarium. At the end of a 48 h period of exposure, H. bicolor was observed to consume on an average 5.32 ± 0.50 snails depending on the size class and the predator density. The predation pattern varied significantly with the prey size class, as revealed through the logistic equation, y (prey-consumed) = 1 / (1 + exp (-(0.97–0.71*size class-prey))). In a separate experiment, it was observed that the presence of H. bicolor induced a reduction in the fecundity in A. gracile, as revealed through the logistic regression, y (egg laid) = 1 / (1 + exp(-(3.45–0.67*predator-density))). The direct effect of predation and indirect effect of oviposition reduction reflect the efficacy of H. bicolor on population regulation of A. gracile. In view of conservation biological control, the use of the snail H. bicolor as a biocontrol agent may prove beneficial in situations where A. gracile is a pest.
The different types of paper wastes constitute a major portion of municipal solid waste. The present study was aimed to justify the use of freshwater snails for the biological degradation of the paper waste and subsequent availability of cellulose from fecal matter. Three aquatic snails Racesina luteola , Indoplanorbis exustus , and Physella acuta were used to degrade newsprint, cardboard, and common writing paper as paper waste. The consumption of papers by the snail species was subjected to statistical analysis, and the results of Kruskal-Wallis test indicated a significant variation in the paper-specific consumption pattern ( K = 181.762, df = 2, p <0.0001) and no variation in the species-specific pattern. Among the three types of paper used for the study, cardboard was consumed at the highest rate (4.655 ± 0.401 mg per day), and the per capita consumption remained highest for the snail I. exustus (2.253 ± 0.273 mg per day). The microscopic images and SEM micrographs of the consumed paper revealed prominent grazing and scraping marks by the snails. The disintegration and relaxation of the papers after consumption indicated that they were on the pathway to degradation. The traditional way of degrading paper waste includes physical, chemical, or microbial treatment of paper pulp. This study represents a novel approach considering the freshwater snails as model organisms for the biodegradation process. Considerable amount of cellulose was present in the fecal samples, which can be extracted and purified for utilization as potent raw material.
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