Determining the Salinity Tolerance of Invasive Island Apple Snail Pomacea maculata (Perry, 1810) Hatchlings to Assess the Invasion Probability in Estuarine Habitats in South Carolina, USA

Abstract

The physiological tolerances of invasive species can be important predictors of geographic range expansion. Further, determining salinity tolerances can inform natural resource managers as to the ability of a freshwater species to invade estuarine habitats. Native to South America, the island apple snail Pomacea maculata (family Ampullariidae) is an invasive freshwater gastropod that is currently established across much of the southeastern United States, including South Carolina. The island apple snail is considered an invasive species because of the negative impacts of its intense grazing, high fecundity, and ability to out-compete native species. Further, the island apple snail can also serve as a potential to host the rat lungworm nematode parasite (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), which can cause eosinophilic meningitis in humans. Despite these known potential impacts, knowledge of biology of P. maculata in South Carolina is limited. The objective of this study was to determine the salinity tolerance of P. maculata hatchlings. Although previous studies on the salinity tolerance of P. maculata have been conducted, physiological tolerances can often vary regionally. Because of this potential for regional differences in salinity tolerance, determining the salinity tolerance of P. maculata specific to South Carolina is important in improving the understanding of its invasion/dispersion potential among brackish habitats in South Carolina. This knowledge will help resource managers to develop more effective control and/or eradication strategies. Newly hatched P. maculata obtained from egg clutches deposited by adult snails in a biosecure laboratory were placed in each of five salinity treatments (0, 4, 8, 12, and 16), and mortality was assessed daily for 14 days. Intraspecific variation at the regional scale in salinity tolerance has been documented in other species; thus, the survival of hatchlings from four separate mating pairs was assessed. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was conducted to determine median survival probabilities, and differences in mean survival were determined using Kruskal–Wallis tests with post hoc Dunn's tests. An LD50 value was determined by conducting a logistic regression analysis. A survival of 100% was observed at 0 salinity and 0% survival was observed at salinities of both 12 and 16. Survival probabilities at salinities of 4 and 8 were 0.925 and 0.156, respectively. There were no differences in survival among hatchlings from the different mating pairs. In relation to salinity, an LD50 value of 6.39 was calculated. These results demonstrate the ability of P. maculata to survive salinities as high as 8, suggesting that this species could be capable of becoming established in upstream estuarine habitats in coastal South Carolina.