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Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Waterbird-mediated zoochory is one of the main ecological mechanisms by which non-flying freshwater invertebrates can disperse between isolated wetlands. Passive dispersal through gut passage inside waterbirds (endozoochory) may explain how many organisms spread in the landscape. Here, we evaluate the potential for dispersal of aquatic snails by three waterbird species in neotropical wetlands. A total of 77 faecal samples from Coscoroba coscoroba (n = 28), Dendrocygna viduata (n = 36) and Anas flavirostris (n = 13) were collected in the field and taken to the laboratory. There, the samples were examined under a stereomicroscope to check for the presence of gastropod shells. We found 496 intact gastropod shells, and Heleobiapiscium was the most abundant species (n= 485). We also found two shells of Drepanotrema sp. and nine others distributed between two different morphotypes of Planorbidae. Snails were present in 20.8 % of all samples, and were more frequent in faeces of coscoroba swan (50%) than the other two bird species. Our data suggest that aquatic snails may disperse by avian endozoochory between neotropical wetlands, with vectors including migratory bird species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anuario do Instituto de Geociencias is the property of Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Geociencias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objetivou-se com este estudo verificar o horário de atividade, a frequência dos atos compor­tamentais através do etograma básico e a influência da temperatura e da umidade relativa do ar sobre o comportamento de Achatina fulica Bowdich, 1822 e Megalobulimus oblongus (Müller, 1774). Ambas as espécies apresentaram atividade noturna. Os atos comportamentais mais frequentes foram “repousar”, “estar enterrado” e “alimentar” para as duas espécies. Megalobulimus oblongus foi menos ativo que a espécie exótica, porém apresentou frequência alimentar maior. O aumento da temperatura causou a redução da atividade de ambas as espécies, enquanto o aumento da umidade apenas influenciou a ati­vidade de A. fulica. Apesar de a espécie nativa ter se mostrado menos suscetível às mudanças na tem­peratura e umidade, e ter se alimentado mais que a exótica, as características biológicas e ecológicas de A. fulica, como seu grande potencial reprodutivo e a ausência de predadores naturais, fazem desta um competidor mais eficiente, capaz de colocar as populações de M. oblongus em risco de extinção.

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to survey the species of molluscs and to evaluate the effect of exotic species on the native mollusks of three reservoirs in the Pajeú Basin Cachoeira II, Jazigo and Serrinha. Methods Sampling was carried out with trawl net (5 mm mesh opening) and hand net (2 mm mesh opening). Results and conclusions Were quantified 60,244 specimens, distributed among the species Melanoides tuberculata (49,398), Pomacea lineata (573), Biomphalaria straminea (376) and Physa marmorata (01). The invasive exotic species M. tuberculata was dominant in all reservoirs with a relative abundance greater than 85% and the other species were classified as occasional and rare, with emphasis in Physa marmorata that is present in the red list of species vulnerable to extinction. Regarding the frequency of occurrence, all species were classified as euconstant (occurrence greater than 65%), except P. lineata and P. marmorata, which were classified as ancillary (occurrence less than 40%). Among the species, M. tuberculata were the highest average density (1,636 ind.m-2) in Serrinha reservoir, showed a strong adaptation to the environmental conditions, due to its high dominance in all the reservoirs, being probably the main cause for the low diversity and density indices of native molluscs. Since P. marmorata presented low density and frequency, becoming an important point to be investigated as possible species impaired by the dominance of M. tuberculata.

AbstractThe knowledge of the extent of DNA damage in aquatic organisms in polluted areas is an important issue because contamination may alter their health at sublethal levels. Although molluscs have been widely used to monitor water pollution, there are no records of in vivo genotoxicity studies. Heleobia cf. australis, is distributed in almost all Uruguayan coastal ecosystems, including highly polluted sites. The comet assay is a damage genetic biomarker based on the migration of negatively charged DNA fragments produced by mutagenic agents in individual cells. Live individuals were collected in the Montevideo Bay (impacted area) and Laguna Garzón (control) to analyze the presence of mutagenic agents in the former site through comet assay. Cells from organisms of the impacted area showed significantly higher levels of genetic damage than those obtained in the control population, measured by percentage of DNA in the tail. Although preliminary, this approach supports the idea that H. cf. australis could be used as a sentinel to evaluate the presence of mutagenic agents in estuarine environments, alerting to the impact of contamination in its early stages.

Abstract Endocrine mediated "imposex" phenomenon was investigated and recorded in the muricoid gastropod species Thais carinifera during the two decades from 1993 to 2012 at three (3) sites out of six (6) localities investigated along the Sindh and Balochistan coast, Pakistan. The VDS stages 1 to 4 were apparent in Thais carinifera. The intensity of imposex has remained comparatively low in the populations of harbours in close proximity to port Mohammad Bin-Qasim, namely; Old Korangi Fish Harbour (OKFH) and New Korangi Fish Harbour (NKFH) where shipping activities are sporadic as compared to those in Manora Channel and the adjoining Karachi Port area where intensive shipping activity is rather frequent. Target species found to be good bioindicators have shown a marked decrease over the prolonged study period. Investigations show that this decrease is solely due to globally imposed effective bans on tributyltin (TBT) based antifouling paints over the past decade.

The aim of this study was to verify the activity period, the frequency of behavioral acts through basic ethogram and the influence of temperature and the relative air humidity on behavior of Achatina fulica Bowdich, 1822 and Megalobulimus oblongus (Müller, 1774). Both species presented nocturnal activity. The most frequent behavioral acts were "Rest", "Buried" and "Feed" for both species. Megalobulimus oblongus was less active than the alien species, but presented a higher feeding frequency. The increasing temperature caused reduction in activity on both species while the increase in humidity influenced only A. fulica. Despite the native species being less susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity and fed more than the alien species, the biological and ecological features of A. fulica, as its great reproductive potential and the absence of natural predators, make this species an efficient competitor, with potential to extinct the populations of M.oblongus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitjançant una revisió bibliogràfica de publicacions editades des de 1868 fins a 2004, s'ha elaborat un inventari preliminar de la fauna malacològica de la serra de Collserola, amb 99 espècies. L'àrea geogràfica estu­diada és un dels espais naturals ibèrics amb més referències bibliogràfiques de mol·luscs terrestres i d'aigua dolça. Tanmateix, resten per resoldre moltes llacunes sobre alguns dels tàxons. En concret, manquen localitzacions recents de diverses espècies per verificar que actualment són presents dins l'àmbit del parc de Collserola. Entre les espècies catalogades destaquen alguns elements endèmics de gran interès com Xerocrassa betulonensis (Bofill, 1879), Zonitoides jaccetanicus (Bourguignat, 1870) i Montserratina martorelli (Bourguignat, 1870). Els resultats de la revisió bibliogràfica posen de manifest la gran contribució de la malacofauna a la biodiversitat de la serra de Collserola i alhora poden constituir una eina molt útil per gestionar¿la. Paraules clau: Inventari, Mol·luscos continentals, Gastròpodes, Bivalves, Biodiversitat, Parc de Collserola, Barcelona.

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Oceanography is the property of Instituto Oceanografico da Universidade de Sao Paulo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Oceanography is the property of Instituto Oceanografico da Universidade de Sao Paulo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Uma série de experimentos foi realizada com o objetivo de estabelecer a CL50 para o molusco gastropode Neritina virginica em relação ao hexaclorociclohexano conhecido, comercialmente, como BHC (Europa) e HC (EUA). As concentrações usadas de BHC variaram entre os limites de 1,120 a 2,000 mg/l e os experimentos tiveram a duração de 96 horas. O valor obtido de CL50 96 horas para Neritina virginicafoi de 1,482 mgBHC/l.The LC50 of Neritina virginica (gastropod) to hexaolorocyclohexane (C6H6Cl6) was determined. A series of experiments was prepared during a period of 96 hours using different hexaclorocyclohexane concentrations. The LC50 to Neritina virginica was 1,482 mg hexaclorocyclohexane/l.

Abstract Aim Avicennia schaeuriana is one of the six species that composes the mangrove forests of Brazil and form mangrove fringes along waterways. The mangrove-roots of the A. schaeuriana act as one of the microhabitats used by the invertebrate biodiversity of the estuarine ecosystem. The present note aimed to inventory the malacofauna associated with roots of Avicennia schaueriana of the hypersaline and inverse estuary, highlighting variations in abundance and diversity along a salinity gradient and different seasonal periods. Methods Three sampling stations were delineated along the course of the estuary. At each station 3 transects of 10 meters were placed, and for each of them 3 sample points were selected, and at each point 3 samples of roots of A. schaueriana were obtained. A total of 108 samples were stored in plastic bags containing 4% formaldehyde and subsequently passed through a screening process, with identification of the associated specimens with the lowest possible taxonomic level. Results A total of 171 specimens was recorded, belonging to 10 species, 7 families, and 9 genera of the Bivalvia and Gastropoda classes. The abundance of the specimens differed between the seasonal periods analyzed. Conclusions The highest species richness and abundance of organisms in the rainy period allows inferences about the importance of the estuarine water cycle in regulating the biodiversity of these environments. Thus, the importance of the maintenance and protection of the mangrove forests composed of A. schaueriana, as well as the need for more in-depth studies becomes evident.