Gastropod biodiversity at the 'Evolution Canyon' microsite, lower Nahal Oren, Mount Carmel, Israel |
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Authors: | TOMÁ PAVLÍ EK ,HENDRIK KLAAS MIENIS,SHMUEL RAZ,VERONIQUE HASSID,ARTEM RUBENYAN, EVIATAR NEVO |
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Affiliation: | Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel; Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; The Hebrew Reali School, Haifa 34781, Israel; Moscow Stare Pedagogical University, Moscow 129278, Russia |
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Abstract: | Twenty-six species of gastropods (terrestrial, shell-bearing snails and slugs) were recorded at the 'Evolution Canyon' microsite, lower Nahal Oren, Mount Carmel, Israel. Twenty-five species were recorded at the temperate, mesic north-facing slope (NFS) and 20 species at the xeric south-facing slope (SFS). Out of these species, six were NFS specific ( Pilorcula raymondi hebraica , Euchondrus septemdentatus , Monacha crispulata , Pyramidula rupestris hierosolymitana , Truncatellina haasi , and Vitrea contracta ) and one was SFS specific ( Prolimax eustrictus ). The interslope difference was probably partly due to missing forest species at the SFS in comparison with the NFS. Twenty-two species were Levantine endemics (84.6%) and four species were more widely distributed in the Palaearctic region (15.4%). The Levantine species are inhabitants of the mesic and mainly mountainous regions, but four species ( Granopupa granum , Calaxis hierosolymarum , Cecilioides acicula , and Helix engaddensis ) also penetrate the deserts. Seven species ( Buliminus labrosus , H. engaddensis , Levantina spiriplana caesareana , Metafruticicola fourousi , Monacha syriaca , Sphincterochila cariosa , and Xeropicta vestalis joppensis ) were significantly more abundant on the SFS than on the NFS. The local physical microclimatic sharp divergence leads to gastropod adaptive interslope biotic divergence caused by natural selection. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 93 , 147–155. |
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Keywords: | 'Evolution Canyon' gastropods Israel local ecological divergence slugs snails |
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