González-Hernández, Neisha M.

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    Environmental correlates of the distribution and size of the land snail Caracolus marginella (Gmelin 1791) and the number of micro-invertebrates associated with its feces in a secondary forest at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
    (2020-12-09) González-Hernández, Neisha M.; Santos-Flores, Carlos J.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Puente-Rolón, Alberto R.; Locke, Sean A.; Department of Biology; Román-Paoli, Elvin
    Phoretic micro-invertebrates use animals, such as snails, as hosts or for dispersal mechanisms through host feeding and feces. Here we studied the number of micro-invertebrates associated with the feces of the land snail Caracolus marginella (Gmelin 1791) during two seasons (wet and dry) in a secondary forest at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Per season, a total of 70 snails were collected, their sizes determined, and the substrates and elevation where the snails occurred were noted. Snails were housed individually for 24 to 48 hours. Feces (10 mm of fecal content diluted in 1 mL of water) were collected from each individual (140 in total). The number of micro-invertebrates was expected to be greater in snail feces during the wet season, due to the increased amount of water in the surroundings for the development of organisms that rely on water to exit cryptobiosis. Relationships analyzed were: (1) snail dimensions (length, width, volume); (2) snail abundances versus (a) season, (b) environment (forest, anthropogenic), (c) location within forest (interior, peripheral), and (d) surface (tree, wall, soil); and (3) the environment with the number of micro-invertebrates found in snail feces. Season had an effect on the environment (p = 0.0001), surface (p = 0.0002) and elevation above ground (p = 0.0001) where snails were found. Nematodes (Rhabditidae) found in the samples were of the parasitic type, while rotifers (Habrotrochidae) are associated with moss, which could suggest phoresy. Contrary to the hypothesis, these micro-invertebrates were more abundant in the dry season than in the wet season.