Abstract
Chilina gibbosa is an endemic snail widely distributed in Patagonia, Argentina. Due to its importance in the benthic fauna and in the diet of some fish in the oligo-mesotrophic reservoir Ezequiel Ramos Mexía (39° 30′ S, 69° 00′ W), special attention has been given to its life cycle, growth patterns and annual production. Samples were taken monthly at five littoral stations between June 1983 and July 1984.
Mean abundance and biomass of C. gibbosa were much higher in vegetated stations dominated by Potamogeton berteroanus (Station 1 : 583 ind. m−2, 5.95 g AFDM m−2) or by Nitella clavata (Station 5 : 275 ind. m−2, 4.18 g AFDM m−2) than bare stations with low transparency or stations with other macrophytes. The snails presented a clustered spatial pattern and their abundance was significantly correlated with macrophyte wet biomass only when this was above 250 g m−2. Analysis of size distributions showed an annual life cycle with a reproductive period in the summer. However, differences in recruitment and growth occurred probably due to differences in water temperature and food availability. Growth was maximum in summer and almost absent during winter. Hence, shell growth data fit a sigmoid curve well, and growth was somewhat higher at Station 1. Annual production at Stations 1 and 5, estimated by the ‘growth increment summation’ method (28.8 g AFDM m−2 and 14.18 g AFDM m−2 respectively), was among the highest recorded for pulmonate gastropods, possibly due to a low interspecific competition. The P : B ratio values were within the range for univoltine gastropods (4.84 and 3.39).
The high productivity and turnover rate of these snails grant a high availability of food for the abundant molluscivore, the silverside Patagonina hatcheri.
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Bosnia, A.S., Kaisin, F.J. & Tablado, A. Population dynamics and production of the freshwater snail Chilina gibbosa Sowerby 1841 (Chilinidae, Pulmonata) in a North-Patagonian reservoir. Hydrobiologia 190, 97–110 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014100
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014100