Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Facteurs responsables de la distribution des gastéropodes dulcicoles dans le fleuve Saint-Laurent

  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A study of the freshwater gastropods in the Saint Lawrence river near Montreal was undertaken to characterize the populations living in the benthos and on the vegetation, and to define the effects of a deterioration of water quality.

Ninety-eight samples, collected simultaneously from the benthos and on macrophytes, were expressed as the logarithm of each species' relative abundance. WPGMA clustering, principal coordinates and discriminant analysis were used to describe and characterize differences between samples. Diversity was also computed to show the transformations of population structure due to differences in pollution levels.

Prosobranch snails predominated in benthic populations while pulmonates characterized vegetation. A decrease in the number of species was the characteristic response to increasing pollution levels upon both types of substrates. High hydrocarbon levels were related to a decrease in the diversity of snail populations on the vegetation only.

Predominance of prosobranchs in the benthos and pulmonates on the vegetation could be explained by a differential dependence of those two groups of snails on the aquatic medium, and by considering modes of nutrition. Sporadic oil spills affected the snail populations living on macrophytes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Bibliographie

  • Allen, H. L., 1971. Primary productivity, chemo-organotrophy and nutritional interactions of epiphytic algae and bacteria on macrophytes in the littoral of a lake. Ecol. Monogr. 41: 91–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahmad, A., Chodorowski, A. & Legendre, P., 1974. Studies on the effects of pollution on the diatom communities of the St. Lawrence river near Montreal. Proc. 9th. Canadian Symp. Water Poll. Res. Can.: 135–141.

  • Bartlett, M. S., 1948. Internal and external factor analysis. Br. J. Psychol. statist. Sect. 1: 77–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Basch, P. F., 1963. A review of the recent fresh-water limpet snails of North America. Bull. Mus. comp. Zool. 129: 401–461.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bickel, P., 1965. The role of aquatic plants and submerged structures in the ecology of a freshwater pulmonate snail Physa integra (Hold). Sterkiana 18: 17–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calow, P., 1970. Studies on the natural diet of Lymnaea pereger obtusa (Kobelt) and its possible ecological implications. Proc. malac. Soc. Lond. 34: 203–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calow, P., 1973a. Gastropod association within Malham Tarn, Yorkshire. Freshwater Biol. 3: 521–534.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calow, P., 1973b. Field observations and laboratory experiments on the general food requirements of 2 species of fresh water snail Planorbis contortus and Ancylus fluviatilis. Proc. malac. Soc. Lond. 40: 483–489.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clampitt, P. T., 1970. Comparative ecology of the snails Physa gyrina and Physa integra (Basommatophora-Physidae). Malacologia 10: 113–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, A. H., 1973. The freshwater mollusks of the Canadian Interior Basin. Malacologia 13: 1–509.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Foin, T., 1971. The distribution pattern of the freshwater prosobranch Oxytrema proxyma (Say). J. Eleska Mitchell Sci. Soc. 87: 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodrich, C., 1921. Three new species of Pleuroceridae. Occas Pap. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan 91: 1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gouin, D. & Malo, P., 1977. Description des mélanges. Rapport technique no. 13. Comite d'Etude sur le Fleuve St-Laurent. SPEQ ed. 43 pp.

  • Gower J. C., 1966. Some distance properties of latent root and vector methods used in multivariate analysis. Biometrika 53: 325–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gravel, Y. & Pageau, G., 1976. Les ressources biologiques et récréatives du St-Laurent sont-elles inépuisables? L'Ingénieur 62: 31–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harman, W. N. & Berg, C. O., 1971. The freshwater gastropods of central New. York with illustrated keys to genera and species. Search: Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. Entomol. (Ithaca) 1: 1–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harman, W. N., 1972. Benthic substrates: their effect on freshwater mollusks. Ecology 53: 271–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houp, K. H., 1970. Population dynamics of Pleurocera acuta in a Central Kentucky limestone stream. Am. Midl. Natur. 83: 81–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, R., 1964. Physiological aspects of ecology in nonmarine mollusks. In: Wilbur & Yonge (eds) Physiology of Mollusca, pp. 83–126. Academic Press, New York. 625 pp.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Krecker, F., 1939. A comparative study of the animal populations of certain submerged aquatic plants. Ecology 20: 553–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lacoursiere, E., Vaillancourt, G. & Couture, R., 1975. Relations entre les plantes aquatiques et les gastéropodes (Mollusca, Gastropoda) dans la région de la centrale nucléaire Gentilly I (Quebec). Can. J. Zool. 53: 1868–1874.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd, M. & Ghelardi, R. J., 1964. A table for calculating the ‘equitability’ component of species diversity. J. anim. Ecol. 33: 217–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orciari, R. D. & Hummon, W. D., 1975. A comparison of benthic oligochaete populations in acid and neutral lentic environments in southeastern Ohio. Ohio J. Sci. 75: 44–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pageau, G., Gravel, Y. & Levesque, L., 1971. The ichthyofauna and flora of Lake St-Louis on the St-Lawrence river near Montreal, Quebec: General features and recent changes. Proc. 14th. Conf. Great Lakes Res.: 79–89.

  • Pinel-Alloul, B., 1975. Etude écologique des Lymnaeidés (mollusques, gastéropodes, pulmonés) du lac St-Louis près de Montréal, Québec. Thèse de doctorat. Université de Montreal. 206 pp.

  • Pip, E. & Paulishyne, W. F., 1970. The ecology and distribution of Promenetus exacuous Say (Gasteropoda: Planorbidae) in southern Manitoba. Can. J. Zool. 49: 367–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pip, E. & Stewart, J. M., 1976. The dynamics of two aquatic plant-snail associations. Can. J. Zool. 54: 1192–1205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pip, E., 1978. A survey of the ecology and composition of submerged aquatic snail-plant communities. Can. J. Zool. 56: 2263–2279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosine, W. N., 1955. The distribution of invertebrates on submerged aquatic plant surfaces in Muskee Lake, Colorado. Ecology 36: 308–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shannon, C. E., 1948. A mathematical theory of communication. Bell System tech. J. 27: 379–423, 623–656.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheerboom, J. E. M. & van Elk, R., 1978. Field observations on the seasonal variations in the natural diets and haemolymph-glucose concentration of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis Linnaeus. Proc. K. Ned. Akad. Wet. Set. C. Biol. Med. Sci. 81: 365–376.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sokal, R. R. & Michener, C. D., 1958. A statistical method for evaluating systematic relationships. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 38: 1409–1438.

    Google Scholar 

  • Townsend, C. R., 1973. The food-finding orientation mechanism of Biomphalaria glabrata (Say). Anim. Behav. 21: 544–548.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wetzel, R. G., 1969. Factors influencing photosynthesis and excretion of dissolved organic matter by aquatic macrophytes in hard-water lakes. Int. Rev. ges. Hydrobiol. 49: 1–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker, R. H., 1952. A study of summer foliage insect communities in the Great Smoky Mountains. Ecol. Monogr. 22: 1–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilhm, J. L. & Dorris, T. C., 1968. Biological parameters for water quality criteria. BioScience 18: 477–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Recherche en Sciences de l'Environnement, Université du Québec à Montréal, C. P. 8888, Succursale A, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8, Canada

    A. Lamarche & A. Chodorowski

  2. Départment de Sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, C. P. 6128, Succursale A, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3J7, Canada

    P. Legendre

Authors
  1. A. Lamarche
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. Legendre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Chodorowski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lamarche, A., Legendre, P. & Chodorowski, A. Facteurs responsables de la distribution des gastéropodes dulcicoles dans le fleuve Saint-Laurent. Hydrobiologia 89, 61–76 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00017539

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00017539

Keywords

Search

Navigation