Community-level effects of a Viviparus viviparus L. (Gastropoda,Viviparidae) invasion in the Novosibirsk reservoir

Limnology - Alien species can have significant impacts on invaded ecosystems that include but are not limited to the reduction in biodiversity and alteration of the structure and functioning of...     

The effect of trematode invasion and chromium sulphate on the crude protein content in the haemolymph of Viviparus viviparus (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pectinibranchia)

The combined effect of the trematode infection (Echinoparyphium sp.) and various concentrations of chromium sulphate (0.01, 1, 100 mg/l) onto the crude protein content in the haemolymph of the mollusc Viviparus viviparus was investigated. The normal contents of the crude protein is 0.7-1.22%. In adult specimens its concentration is 20-80% higher than in molluscs of junior age group. Sex difference by this index, which is higher in females, begins to manifest in four year old individuals only. The contents of crude protein in the haemolymph of pregnant females is 1.5 times higher than in latent ones. Under the low intensity of the trematode infection, the contents of crude protein in the haemolymph remains normal, while in the case of heavy infection, it decrease 100 times or lower. In the cases of 0.01-1 mg/l concentrations of chromium sulphate, the content of protein in the haemolymph of V. viviparus decreases, while in the case of 100 mg/l it increases abruptly, in comparison to the norm. The trematode infection intensifies these processes.     

A new species of freshwater snail Tchangmargarya (Gastropoda: Viviparidae) endemic to a vanished small lake in Yunnan,China

Habitat loss poses a grave threat to endemic species with narrow distributions. Some species become extinct even before scientific identification due to habitat destruction. Here, a probable example is reported based on some recent and subfossil shells from an almost disappeared wetland lake in Yunnan Province, China. A new ornamented freshwater snail species, Tchangmargarya ziyi n. sp., is recognised and described based on morphological comparison with the other Tchangmargarya species. The subfossil specimens of the new species show a great similarity to Tchangmargrya yangtsunghaiensis (Tchang & Tsi, 1949), indicating their potentially close relationship. The discovery of the new species demonstrates that the plateau lakes of Yunnan, even the small ones, have a high biodiversity and endemism. Furthermore, it enriches the knowledge of the distribution of Tchangmargarya and provides further evidence that the Liangwang Mountains are a significant biogeographic barrier to three endemic viviparid genera (Margarya, Anularya and Tchangmargarya) of Yunnan. Since the only known habitat of this species has been mostly landfilled due to the construction of a golf course and villas, this species possibly has already gone extinct. In order to implement conservation measures more efficiently, more comprehensive surveys should be conducted in all plateau lakes of Yunnan, including those that might seem insignificant.     

The late Cenozoic Viviparidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) of the Albertine Rift Valley (Uganda—Congo)

During late Cenozoic pre-rift times the viviparid genus Bellamya was probably confined to eastern Africa while in the Congo Basin occurred the genera Neothauma and Kaya (a new genus described herein). During the Pliocene, Kaya became extinct and Neothauma became a relict in Lake Tanganyika. All African rift lakes formed during or after the Pliocene were colonised by populations of Bellamya, which evolved into lacustrine endemics. The changes in shell morphology in Bellamya, such as ornamentation functioning as protection against predators, are modest and repetitive in time and space. After the initial adaptations stasis followed, and there is no indication of an arms race between prey and predator in this genus. In the lakes of the western rift that were formed prior to the Pliocene, namely Lake Tanganyika and Palaeolake Obweruka, Neothauma instead of Bellamya was the coloniser. Initially morphological inertia also occurred in this genus both in Tanganyika and, during the first four million years of its existence, in Palaeolake Obweruka, although from the outset this lake contained abundant highly specialised molluscivorous fishes. About 4.5 Ma a major extinction event occurred in the Obweruka Basin which led to the extermination of 50% of the molluscan species but none of the molluscivores. Among the viviparids, only one of the Neothauma species survived, its populations isolated and highly reduced in numbers. Immediately after this crisis a conchological quantum change occurred, the surviving lineage changing into a strongly ornamented thalassoid form. The dramatic morphological change is deemed to have been due to focussed selection by the predators on isolated and small prey populations. A radiative event immediately followed, producing still more strongly ornamented forms. The morphological changes that occurred in the Obwerukan Neothauma, in comparison to the modest and repeated patterns of evolution that can be observed in viviparids from other lakes, provides an example of true or quantum evolutionary change and yields evidence as to how it may have occurred. The fossil record of the fresh water molluscs of the Albertine Basin, thanks to its duration (ca. 12 million years), its relatively fine resolution (0.5–1.0 million years) and its sound chronostratigraphic framework, is a unique resource for understanding the tempo and mode of macroevolution. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of industrial toxic pollutants on the activity and isoforms of acid DNase in the freshwater snail (Viviparus viviparus L.)

The effect of various toxic compounds (phenol, gasoline, detergents, halogenated benzenes, and copper salts) on the activity and multiple forms of acid DNase was investigated in the liver of the widespread freshwater snail species Viviparus viviparus L. Characteristic variations in the specific activity and isoform pattern of the enzyme depending on pollutant concentration and exposure time were revealed. It was shown that the pattern of DNase isoforms in V. viviparus could be an index of water pollution.     

Subdivided population structure and phylogeography of an endangered freshwater snail, Notopala sublineata (Conrad, 1850) (Gastropoda: Viviparidae), in Western Queensland, Australia

Populations of the Australian freshwater snail Notopala sublineata (Conrad, 1850) have declined rapidly over the last decade, but are still abundant in most river systems of Western Queensland. These rivers are characterized by the unpredictable and highly variable nature of their climatic and hydrological regimes, with episodic periods of very large flow and many periods of little or no flow. We used mitochondrial sequences and allozymes to investigate the genetic structure and infer patterns of dispersal of N. sublineata within this unique environment. We sampled 24 waterholes throughout the four major catchments of the Lake Eyre Basin. Based on a 457-bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene, we identified 55 haplotypes in a sample of 256 individuals. Both nuclear and mitochondrial genetic datasets indicated high levels of genetic subdivision and restricted gene flow among populations within and among catchments. The mitochondrial haplotypes clustered into two main geographical clades, corresponding with two groups of adjacent catchments: Cooper–Bulloo and Diamantina–Georgina, which appear to have diverged 300 000 years ago. Populations of N. sublineata within these adjacent catchments seem to have diverged relatively recently, roughly 130 000 years ago. Contemporary dispersal seems to be absent between catchments but we suggest that climate fluctuations during the Pleistocene resulted in extensive floods that promoted historical movement of aquatic organisms across catchment boundaries.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 88 , 1–16.     

Neurosecretion in the basommatophoran snail Bulinus truncatus (Gastropoda,Pulmonata)

Summary The neurosecretory system of the freshwater snail Bulinus truncatus was investigated. With the Alcian blue-Alcian yellow (AB/AY) staining method at least 10 different types of neurosecretory cells (NSC) were distinguished in the ganglia of the central nervous system. The differences in staining properties of the NSC — with AB/AY the cells take on different shades of green and yellow — are borne out at the ultrastructural level: the NSC types contain different types of neurosecretory elementary granules.The neurosecretory system of B. truncatus is compared to that of Lymnaea stagnalis, the species which has received the most attention among the pulmonates. It appears from the comparison that the systems of both species show many similarities, although some differences are also apparent.     

Correspondence analysis of shell morphology in the African freshwater snail Biomphalaria pfeifferi (Kraus 1848) (Pulmonata: Gastropoda)

A correspondence analysis of shell measurements taken from 521 widely dispersed specimens of the African aquatic pulmonate snail Biomphalaria pfeifferi suggests the existence of eight morphological groups. These groups appear to relate to either ecophysiological factors or to factors associated with the stability of the freshwater system rather than to aspects of geographic distribution and genetic isolation.     

Zur Morphologie des Ovars von Viviparus contectus (Millet 1813), (Gastropoda,Prosobranchia)

Zusammenfassung Das Ovar von Viviparus contectus besteht, wie licht- und elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen ergeben, aus einem langen, terminal verzweigten dünnen Schlauch, dessen Wand von einem Epithel aus Oocyten in allen Entwicklungsstadien und Follikelzellen gebildet wird. Das Vorkommen von Oogonien in den Ovarien adulter Weibchen ist zweifelhaft. Die Follikelzellen sind als Begleitzellen der Oocyten im allgemeinen extrem langgestreckt. Mit ihrer Basis sitzen sie einer dünnen Basalmembran fibrillärer Struktur auf, wie sie bisher nur für Mollusken beschrieben wurde. Die Follikelzellen enthalten große Mengen von Vesikeln, einen bemerkenswert gut ausgebildeten Golgi-Apparat, spärliches rauhes endoplasmatisches Retikulum und zahlreiche heterogene cytosomale Einschlüsse. Charakteristisch für die Zellen sind außerdem in der Längsrichtung liegende cytoplasmatische Mikrotubuli und vereinzelte Kinetosomen. Obwohl keine direkten morphologischen Beziehungen zwischen Follikelzellen und Oocyten festgestellt werden konnten, wird vermutet, daß die Follikelzellen Material degenerierender Oocyten aus dem Lumen des Ovars resorbieren und speichern. Dieses kann den heranwachsenden Oocyten zugute kommen.

---

Morphological investigations on the ovary of Viviparus contectus (millet 1813), (gastropoda, prosobranchia)I. The follicle cells

Summary The ovary of Viviparus contectus was studied light and electron microscopically. It consists of an extended and terminally branched duct, its wall being formed by oocytes of all stages and by follicle cells. The existence of oogonia in the adult females cannot be established with certainty. According to their relationship to the growing oocytes the follicle cells are in general extremely elongated. At the basis they are attached to a thin basement lamina having a fibrillar structure hitherto only known in molluscs. The follicle cells contain many vesicles, a remarkably well-developed golgi apparatus, some rough endoplasmic reticulum, and many heterogeneous cytosomes. Characteristic for these cells are also cytoplasmic microtubules oriented longitudinally along the cell axis. Kinetosomes can rarely be seen. Although there are no apparent direct interrelationships between follicle cells and oocytes, it is suggested that they are engaged in resorbing material of degenerating oocytes from the lumen of the ovary and in storing materials which may be used by the growing oocytes.

Frau Prof. Dr. A. Nolte danke ich für die Überlassung des Themas und Unterstützung bei der Durchführung der Arbeit, Frau R. Dingerdissen, Physikalisches Institut der Universität Münster, für technische Assistenz am Elmiskop.     

Biochemical variation and shell shape in populations of the fresh-water snail Lymnaea peregra (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Pulmonata) from south-west Ireland

Lymnaea peregra was collected at sites, predominantly from the Caha plateau, in south-west Ireland. These included sites investigated by previous workers and found to contain populations with a distinctive pattern of variation in shell-shape. Normally spired populations and non-spired ( involuta, sub-involuta ) could occur in adjacent loughs in the same watershed. The biochemical variation in some of these populations was investigated using horizontal starch-gel zone electrophoresis. Fourteen biochemical loci were investigated. Although circumscribed by difficulties in collecting and low sample numbers, the investigation showed that the pattern of variation in shell shape was still present and was not correlated or associated with the biochemical variation. While this did not support hypotheses of geographic race formation or incipient speciation, it was in agreement with the current view of variation and speciation in fresh-water pulmonates.     

Polymorphic microsatellites in the African freshwater snail,Bulinus forskalii (Gastropoda,Pulmonata)

Eleven microsatellites were isolated in the freshwater snail Bulinus forskalii, intermediate host for the medically important trematode Schistosoma intercalatum. Characterization in 60 snails from three populations of B. forskalii from Cameroon revealed 4 to 18 alleles per locus. Low observed heterozygosity but higher expected heterozygosity, high F_IS estimates, significant departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and genotypic linkage disequilibria all indicate that B. forskalii is a preferential selfer. High F_ST estimates suggest that effective dispersal is limited and genetic drift is an important determinant of genetic structure. The potential utility of the microsatellite primers in other closely related Bulinus species was explored.     

The digestive gland of Viviparus ater (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Prosobranchia): an ultrastructural and histochemical study

The digestive gland of Viviparus ater was studied using histochemical and ultrastructural methods. Only one cell type was observed in the tubule epithelium of the gland. The cells are involved in an endocytotic process mediated by clathrin-coated vesicles and in the intracellular digestion of food materials (thus they can be regarded as digestive cells). The different stages of digestion and exocytotic extrusion of residual bodies into the tubule lumen were shown by electron microscopy. Very few, small mucocytes are scattered among the digestive cells. Calcium concretions, glycogen-containing cells and endocrine cells are scattered in the area of connective tissue present among the digestive tubules.