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Effects of salinity on survival, growth and reproduction of the invasive aquatic snail Pomacea canaliculata (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae)

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Abstract

Pomacea canaliculata, a freshwater snail native to tropical and temperate South America, has become an important invader and agricultural pest throughout tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Colonization of various aquatic habitats by P. canaliculata in coastal regions of South China and its establishment potential in estuaries have raised great concern, yet little is known about the biological response of the snail and its tolerance under saline environments. We first examined the salinity tolerance of P. canaliculata using a total of 30 experimental juvenile snails exposed to eight salinity levels (from 0 to 14 psu in 2 psu steps). Daily survival of the snails was measured for each salinity treatment over 30 days. Based on salinity exposure test, influence of salinity on snail reproduction was investigated for a period of 30 days using 30 adult snails exposed to four salinity treatments (0, 2, 4 and 6 psu). Each salinity test replicated three times. Pomacea canaliculata could tolerate salinity levels ranging from 0 to 6 psu in which probability of survival was greater than 72% during a 30 days exposure. Lethal time leading to 50% mortality (LT50) of the snail declined from 71 days at 0 psu to 27 days at 6 psu. Pomacea canaliculata could ingest and reproduce normally at salinities ranging from 0 to 4 psu. Average mass daily gain, specific growth rate, and the hatching of egg clutches decreased significantly with elevated salinities. Results show a general threshold response of P. canaliculata to salinity. This freshwater snail falls into “2nd degree” euryhaline limnobionts tolerating salinities of 3–8‰.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31870525, 41871034, U1131006), Guangdong Modern Agricultural Technology Innovation Team Construction Project (No. 2016LM1100). We thank anonymous reviewers for providing helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Department of Ecology, College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Zhong Qin, Mingyu Yang, Jia-En Zhang & Zhixin Deng

  2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-Circular Agriculture; Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Centre of Modern Eco-agriculture and Circular Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China

    Zhong Qin, Mingyu Yang, Jia-En Zhang & Zhixin Deng

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  1. Zhong Qin
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Correspondence to Jia-En Zhang.

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We conducted all experiments in adherence to institutional guidelines for animal welfare under the protocol approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the South China Agricultural University. Pomacea snails used for testing were collected from locations in South China, where there are no endangered or protected species. No specific permits were required for the field study and the locations are not protected.

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Qin, Z., Yang, M., Zhang, JE. et al. Effects of salinity on survival, growth and reproduction of the invasive aquatic snail Pomacea canaliculata (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae). Hydrobiologia 847, 3103–3114 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04320-z

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