Shell colour polymorphism of the Negev desert landsnail, Trochoidea seetzeni: the importance of temperature and predation

Slotow, Rob; Goodfriend, Wendy; Ward, David

doi:10.1006/jare.1993.1004

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…This result confirmed the observations by other authors that thrushes eat a higher number of C. nemoralis than would be expected if feeding were random (Bantock and Bayley 1973). In contrast, the strong avian avoidance of H. pomatia and A. arbustorum might result from the fact that brown snails are more cryptic and, thus, more easily overlooked by birds that use visual stimuli (Slotow et al 1993). The differences in the number of predated individuals between C. nemoralis and A. arbustorum might also reflect the difference in behaviour between these two species.…”

Section: Avian and Mammalian Predatory Pressure On Snailssupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The hypothesis that predation by mice could be selective with respect to shell colour and banding pattern is controversial. Some investigations indicated that such preferences do not exist in mice (Slotow et al 1993). However, we found that mice preferred yellow Cepaea individuals, which is consistent with suggestions that mice choose yellow morphs particularly in dark habitats (Bengtson et al 1976).…”

Section: Preference Toward Particular Morphs Of Cepaea Sppmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…may be strong especially in the case of birds, which are visual predators and show a tendency to choose forms that are more conspicuous (e.g. Sheppard 1951;Cain and Sheppard 1954;Slotow et al 1993). Therefore, thrushes were expected to show the most striking differences in morph preferences for C. nemoralis and C. hortensis.…”

Section: Preference Toward Particular Morphs Of Cepaea Sppmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…It is necessary to consider that some species and morphs are overlooked more readily than others because of better camouflage (Cain and Sheppard 1954;Wolda 1963). Thus, it is possible that brown morphs of the genus Cepaea, which are more cryptic to the human eye than yellow or pink morphs, could have been overlooked (Slotow et al 1993). This may have led to a biased selection by the researcher, which could skew the assessment of avian and mammalian preference toward particular species and morphs.…”

Section: Avian and Mammalian Predatory Pressure On Snailsmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Differences in predatory pressure on terrestrial snails by birds and mammals

et al. 2011

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The evolution of shell polymorphism in terrestrial snails is a classic textbook example of the effect of natural selection in which avian and mammalian predation represents an important selective force on gene frequency. However, many questions about predation remain unclear, especially in the case of mammals. We collected 2000 specimens from eight terrestrial gastropod species to investigate the predation pressure exerted by birds and mice on snails. We found evidence of avian and mammalian predation in 26.5% and 36.8% of the shells. Both birds and mammals were selective with respect to snail species, size and morphs. Birds preferred the brown-lipped banded snail Cepaea nemoralis (L.) and mice preferred the burgundy snail Helix pomatia L. Mice avoided pink mid-banded C. nemoralis and preferred brown mid-banded morphs, which were neglected by birds. In contrast to mice, birds chose larger individuals. Significant differences in their predatory pressure can influence the evolution and maintenance of shell size and polymorphism of shell colouration in snails.

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Section: Avian and Mammalian Predatory Pressure On Snailssupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Preference Toward Particular Morphs Of Cepaea Sppmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Preference Toward Particular Morphs Of Cepaea Sppmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Avian and Mammalian Predatory Pressure On Snailsmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Differences in predatory pressure on terrestrial snails by birds and mammals

et al. 2011

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“…Predation, on the other hand, is one of the primary selective forces on shell colour and morphology in snails (Slotow et al 1993;Quensen and Woodruff 1997;Schilthuizen et al 2006). Thus, its influence on the evolution of flattened morphology should also be considered, as flattened snails might use refuges in order to avoid predation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disruptive selection by predation offsets stabilizing selection on shell morphology in the land snail Iberus g. gualtieranus

Moreno‐Rueda

2008

Evol Ecol

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This work analyses the selection on shell morphology (height and width) in an arid-dwelling land snail with a flattened shell, Iberus g. gualtieranus. The findings show absence of selection, but more detailed analyses, separating the effect of different selective agents, show that there is disruptive selection on shell height caused by predation (by black rats, Rattus rattus). Nevertheless, this disruptive selection was balanced by stabilizing selection caused by other unknown mortality sources with the same strength. The two selective forces acting in opposite directions resulted in an absence of appreciable selection on shell height. This study suggests that it is important to analyse the effect of different sources of selection acting simultaneously on a trait, in order to attain a precise picture of the selective patterns, especially when the whole selection is close to zero, as this does not necessarily imply the absence of selection on the trait.

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Paedomorphosis and shell-colour polymorphism of a desert landsnail

Ward

Slotow

1997

Journal of Arid Environments

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Shell colour polymorphism of the Negev desert landsnail, Trochoidea seetzeni: the importance of temperature and predation

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Differences in predatory pressure on terrestrial snails by birds and mammals

Differences in predatory pressure on terrestrial snails by birds and mammals

Disruptive selection by predation offsets stabilizing selection on shell morphology in the land snail Iberus g. gualtieranus

Paedomorphosis and shell-colour polymorphism of a desert landsnail

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