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Molluscs` Role in Nature. Annelie Ehlvest Tartu Environmental Education Center www.teec.ee. How many different molluscs live in Estonia?. On the land: about 80 species of snails. In freshwater: about 40 species of snails and 20 species of bivalves.
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Molluscs` Role inNature Annelie Ehlvest Tartu Environmental Education Center www.teec.ee
How many different molluscs live in Estonia? On the land: about 80 species of snails In freshwater: about 40 species of snails and 20 species of bivalves In the Baltic around Estonia 8 species of bivalves and 20 species of snails
“Molluscdiversity” on land and in freshwater in neighbourhood: In Finland: 128 species of snails and 30 species of bivalves In Latvia: 129 species of snails and 30 species of bivalves In Sweden: 437 species of snails (110 of these are landsnails and slugs) and 32 species of bivalves
How long do they live? The freshwater pearlmussel: 150 years River mussels Unio sp.: 40 – 90 years Anadonta sp.: 30 years The blue mussel Mytilus edulis: 10 years Small landsnails and slugs: 1- 2 years Big landsnails: 6 – 10 years
What do landsnails eat? Different parts of flowering plants: • leaves • flowers • fruits • underground storage organs
What else do landsnails eat? • mushrooms – both mycelium and fruiting body • alga • lichens • ferns • mosses
What else do landsnails eat? • carrions: copse snail Arianta arbustorum can eat also dead snails • the largest European land snail black keel back slugLimax cinereo-niger may attac otherones then in captivety • no real carnivorous snails in our country
What else do landsnails eat? • muldering plants, also dead wood (can decompose cellulose and partly ligneous) • carton and paper (cellulose!)
What do watersnails eat? • alga • flowering plants • dead plants and animals • frog-spawn
What bivalves eat? bivalves filter small organic parts from water: • phytoplankton • zooplankton • detritus, floating organic material
What else do bivalves eat? • glochidial larval stages of uniocean musselsUnio sp. live for some weeks on host fishesgills and skin, eating their tissues • freshwater pearlmussel Margaritifera margaritifera does the same for several months
Who eat landsnails? Several beetles: • carrion beetle Phosphuga atrata(1) • carabids (2) • fireflies, both larva and adults eat only snails (3) 2 1 3 ♂ juv.
Who else eat landsnails? • true bugs,Heteroptera • brown centipedes,Lithobius forficatus • red bugs • some fly larva develop in the snails eggs, also eating jung snails
Who else eat landsnails? Lot of birds: • thrushes • small songbirds • hens and ducks
Who else eat landsnails? • toads and other amphibians • mole • hedgehog • shrew • northern birch mouse • jellow-necked mouse • rat
Who else eat landsnails? • squirrel • stoat • fox • mink • badger • wild boar
EGGS Who else are interested of landsnails? • mould on snaileggs • green-banded broodsac- a parasitic flatworm (or "helminth") that uses landsnails as an intermediate host
Who eat molluscs in river, lake and pond? • fishes: roach, crucian carp, tench, eel ec • mammals: muskrat,otter, mink
Who eat molluscs in the Baltic Sea? • fishes: sea-scorpion, flounder, god, turbot, viviparous blenny • common starfish • chinese mitten crab
Who else eat molluscs in the water? • waterbirds: • eider • steller's eider • merganser • mallard • swan
Molluscs role on land? • Food for many animals • Consumers of plants and mushrooms • Sorse of calcium for birds, especially in nesting time • Decomposers of dead plants • Intermediate hosts for parasitic flatworms
Molluscs role in fresh water? • Food for many animals • Consumers of plants • Filtering plancton and detritus • Parasites on fishes • Intermediate hosts for parasitic flatworms • Part of plancton in larva stage (zebra mussel) • Empty shells are bildingmaterial for caddisflies(Limnephilus flavicornis)
Molluscs role in Baltic Sea? • Food for many animals • Consumers of plants • Filtering plancton and detritus, cleaning water • Empty shells are used by hermit crabs as “homes”
Text: Anneli Ehlvest Pictures: Epp Margna Photos: Anneli Ehlvest, Tarmo Niitla