Kingdom: Animalia
Division: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Land Snails of the Southern Appalachians
A land snail shell [Copyright: Ron Caldwell, used with permission]
The Southern Appalachian region contains a rich diversity of land snails. In collaboration with LMU's Cumberland Mountain Research Center (CMRC) and the Powell River Aquatic Research Station (a CMRC research station ) under the direction of Ron Caldwell, SAIN provides access to spatial data on the region's land snails and digital plates of selected snail species in North Carolina with physical description, distribution map, ecological notes, and images of the shell.
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Terrestrial Snails and Slugs (order Stylommatophora)
What is a Land Snail? Land snails are gastropods in the order Stylommatophora (Terrestrial snails and slugs). Gliding on slick mucus secreted during travel, these slimy, slow-moving, soft-bodied invertebrates are protected from dry weather by a coiled, calcium carbonate-based shell. Known as decomposers, land snails help break down non-living organic matter like sap, decaying wood and leaves, animal scat, and carrion. They also may eat plants, algae, fungi, small worms and sometimes other land snails.
Land Snail Habitat Land snails prefer shady, moist areas including forests, downed woody debris, the north face or base of slopes, springs and seeps, floodplain edges, rock talus, rock overhangs and caves. Shade and moisture are important to snails because drying out is their primary threat. Land snails seem to prefer habitat rich in calcium. For example, land snails are known to favor areas with dogwood trees, likely because dogwood trees' leaves and berries are richer in calcium than other forest trees (McGlone 2007).
Ecological Importance of Land Snails Land snail species richness and abundance reflects forest health much like freshwater mussel populations can reflect water quality. Land snails are an important food source for larger animals such as beetles, turtles, salamanders, small mammals and birds. Some animals eat empty snail shells for dietary calcium. Illustrating land snails' importance to nutrient cycling in ecosystems, loss of dogwood trees and their calcium-rich leaves can reduce the abundance of land snails. Fewer snails to eat decreases the available dietary calcium for birds, reducing birds' ability to produce calcium-based eggshells.
Land Snails of the Southern Appalachians During the last ice age, the Southern Appalachian Mountains were spared the scouring effects of advancing glaciers, creating a refuge for invertebrates like land snails. As glaciers retreated, a variety of shady, cool, moist habitats opened, creating ideal conditions for new types of land snails unique to the Southern Appalachians.
McGlone J., (2007). Dogwoods: Can Eastern Forests Function Without Them? Conservation Currents, Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, Spring 2007 Newsletter. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, Conservation Currents Web site: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd/newsletter/dogwoods.htm
Cherokee Manual
Rare Land Snails of the Cherokee National Forest
About
Table of Contents
Browse Pages
Ronald S. Caldwell, Ph. D.
Daniel C. Dourson
Illustrations by Daniel C. Dourson,
Line drawings of Pilsbryna species by John Slapcinsky
Photos by Daniel C. Dourson, Ronald S. Caldwell, Micah Davis, Daniel Douglas,
SEM photo by Wayne Van Devender,
Front Cover Photo of Roan Mountain by Katelyn Loukes
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