The apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata), a freshwater snail listed as a pernicious invasive alien species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), has caused serious agricultural and ecological harm worldwide. The species enters dormancy under extreme environmental stress and does not lift the dormant state until the environment is suitable, which is an important survival strategy. In order to investigate its survival mechanism under environmental stress conditions, the present study was carried out to investigate the response of apple snails to air exposure stress through air exposure stress treatment and transcriptome analysis, using apple snails living normally under water conditions as control (CK), and to excavate the relevant mechanisms regulating their drought tolerance, dormancy and arousal. The results showed that the 5-, 15- and 30-day air-exposure stress treatment groups (DRY05, DRY15 and DRY30) showed a general down-regulation of metabolism-related pathways, including starch and sucrose metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, glutathione metabolism and glycosaminoglycan degradation, compared with the CK group. Moreover, Apoptosis, intercellular adhesion, insulin resistance, and immune status of apple snails were also significantly changed during dormancy. These changes help the apple snail to reduce energy expenditure and maintain vital activities. In addition, this study found that pathways related to cell cycle, immune signalling and intercellular adhesion were significantly affected when apple snails enter dormancy (DRY01) and arousal (RCY01). This study provides a reference for understanding the tolerance of apple snails to extreme environments, and provides a basic theory for apple snail biocontrol research.
