ABSTRACT

Two Mediterranean snails, Theba pisana and Cernuella virgata, are agricultural pests in southern Australia. The two species are rarely found together in large numbers in the field, at small scales (<1 m²). In laboratory experiments, the presence of T. pisana reduced the survival of C. virgata, but only when food (carrot + lettuce) was provided. When C. virgata was exposed to only the mucus trails and faeces of T. pisana, produced while feeding on lettuce, both the survival and activity of C. virgata were reduced. When carrot was substituted for lettuce, there was less effect. In addition, when C. virgata was exposed to T. pisana’s faeces only, derived from access to a mix of lettuce and carrot, there was no effect on C. virgata’s survival. The observed reductions in the survival of C. virgata were stronger in autumn (the breeding season for both snail species) compared with spring. Inhibitory components within the mucus trails of T. pisana may (1) help explain the observed distribution patterns of the two species at small scales in the field and (2) provide a novel method for control of pest populations of C. virgata, in some situations.

中文翻译：

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田间蜗牛Theba pisana和Cernuella virgata在实验室中的相互作用

摘要

两只地中海蜗牛Theba pisana和Cernuella virgata是澳大利亚南部的农业害虫。在田间很少以小规模（<1 m ²）大量同时发现这两个物种。在实验室实验中，pisana pisana的存在降低了C. virgata的存活率，但是只有在提供食物（胡萝卜+生菜）的情况下。当虎尾草暴露于仅粘液小径和粪便T.蜗牛，而在莴苣喂养产生，二者的存活和活性虎尾草减少。用胡萝卜代替生菜时，效果较差。此外，当C. virgata只接触到莴苣和胡萝卜的粪便，而不会暴露于C. virgata的生存。与春季相比，秋季（两种蜗牛的繁殖季节）观察到的维氏梭菌的存活率下降更为明显。的粘液小径内抑制部件T.蜗牛可以（1）帮助在现场小尺度解释这两个物种的所观察到的分布模式和（2）的有害生物种群的控制提供一种新颖的方法虎尾草，在一些情况。