Abstract
The study presents new information on the population characteristics of two river snail species, Viviparus viviparus (Linnaeus, 1758) and V. contectus (Millet, 1813), in the water bodies of Ukraine in 2007–2018. The analyzed features include data of the species distribution, numbers and biomass, age and sex ratio population structure, fertility, growth and production. Ecological factors (flow rate, temperature, the concentration of oxygen, pH, organic matter) that limit the distribution of two Viviparidae species in varying biotopes were identified. Recently, the frequency of occurrence, and the number and biomass of populations V. viviparus and V. contectus have been observed to decrease. The probable reason is the declining environmental conditions induced by the climatic changes and anthropogenic pressure. In waters of Ukraine, maximum age is five years for V. viviparus mollusks and six years for V. contectus. High anthropogenic pressure disturbs age structure of viviparid species in water bodies, causing higher ratios of middle-age (two to four year old) snails and decreased or absent young (up to one year old) and oldest (five−six year old) mollusks. The major factor here is high level of saprobity of water bodies, which is accompanied by formation of hypoxic zones and causes significant death rates in the youngest and oldest mollusks. Those are the most vulnerable age classes in mollusk populations.
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Uvayeva, O., Utevsky, S. Comparative analysis of population characteristics of two viviparid species (Mollusca: Viviparidae) in water bodies of Ukraine. Biologia 76, 113–122 (2021). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-020-00504-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-020-00504-z