Small‐scale spatial variation of pasture molluscan faunas within a relic watermeadow system at Wylye, Wiltshire, U.K.

Abstract

Summary Aim To acquire general quantitative data on the molluscan faunas of floodplain pastures, assessing the influence of (minor) topographic variation on molluscan distribution. Additionally, to examine the potential for analogous comparison with fossil data Location The study was located within a relic watermeadow system currently used as floodplain pasture near Wylye, Wiltshire, U.K. Methods Mollusca were extracted from forty turf samples collected from relic carriers (cf. ridges) and relic drains (cf. furrows). Molluscan faunal differences between carriers and drains were assessed using TWINSPAN and diversity indices. Results The dry relic carriers, characterized by a short grassy sward, showed a low‐diversity Trichia‐Vallonia‐Cochlicopa‐Nesovitrea fauna. The damper relic drains, characterized by longer vegetation comprising both rushes and grasses, additionally contained other molluscan species indicative of wetter and/or more sheltered conditions and had significantly more diverse faunas Main conclusions Intra‐site variability of molluscan faunas can be demonstrated with relatively minor changes in topography, hydrology and/or vegetation structure. In addition, the study clearly aids in the analogous interpretation of Holocene subfossil assemblages from the same region.

Diversity of the Western Carpathian flysch grasslands: Do extremely species-rich plant communities coincide with a high diversity of snails?

“…Ondina et al (2004) reported high moisture requirements for several species (e.g., Cochlicopa lubrica, Vertigo pygmaea and Perpolita hammonis) which were present in our plots, mainly from the upland fringes and upland (Table 3). Moisture is welldocumented as an important factor influencing the composition of grassland snail communities (Davies & Grimes 1999;Martin & Sommer 2004a;Hettenbergerová et al 2013). Secondly, a low calcium content of upland grasslands is not suitable for the presence of steppe species and is suboptimal even for common species of open habitats (Table 2b).…”

Pastoral management vs. land abandonment in Mediterranean uplands: impact on land snail communities

“…Although land snails do not appear to be dependent on the presence of particular plant species, they are very dependent on the structure of their habitat (Boycott, 1934; Grime & Blythe, 1969; Cameron & Morgan‐Huws, 1975; Labaune & Magnin, 2001) and have a low dispersal ability. Little is known on these themes for the Mediterranean area, although related research has been undertaken on the impact of grazing on lowland snails in Britain (Cameron & Morgan‐Huws, 1975; Cameron, 1978; Ruesink, 1995; Davies & Grimes, 1999). A second, subsidiary goal was to acquire quantitative data on the land snail communities of dry pastures to enable detection of ‘pastoral signatures’ from Holocene assemblages in the same geographical area.…”

Later Neolithic Woodland and Regeneration in the Long Barrow Ditch Fills of the Avebury Area: The Molluscan Evidence

“…First, buried land surfaces from beneath long barrows or other Neolithic monuments should be subject to a spatially orientated molluscan sampling programme. The only such programme undertaken to date (Whittle et al 1993) clearly indicated a wood/scrub-grassland edge setting at least in one direction, and recent modern studies have confirmed how spatially restricted Mollusca can be (Davies 1999;Davies and Grimes 1999). Woodland may not have been as far off as was once imagined, at least at the construction stage.…”