Land snail dispersal, abundance and diversity on green roofs.

Michael L Mckinney,Faith A Jackson,Nicholas S Gladstone,Jillian G Lentz,Thor-Seng Liew

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0221135

Michael L Mckinney, Faith A Jackson + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221135

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Abstract

We present the first major systematic study of land snail diversity on green roofs. We surveyed 27 green roofs and the adjacent ground habitat in six major cities in the southeastern United States. We found a total of 18 species of land snails, with three considered to be non-native or invasive species. The majority of land snails encountered in surveys are widespread, generalist species, typically adapted to open habitats. Twelve of the land snails encountered are “greenhouse” species that are very commonly transported via the horticultural trade. Therefore, we infer that at least some land snail species are introduced to green roofs via initial green roof installation and associated landscaping. The major determinants of snail species richness and abundance are the size of each roof and the quality of green roof maintenance regime.

Highlights

IntroductionGreen roofs (i.e., roofs designed to have substrate and vegetation) are increasingly common in many parts of the world
Green roofs are increasingly common in many parts of the world
Land snail species richness ranged from zero to nine species, with seven sites having no species observed and only five surveyed sites containing more than three species

Summary

Introduction

Green roofs (i.e., roofs designed to have substrate and vegetation) are increasingly common in many parts of the world. Previous studies have documented the role of green roofs as habitat for several groups of organisms, especially mobile groups that can readily colonize them, such as birds [4], bees [5], and other major insect groups [6]. These studies document that many native and non-native species can potentially colonize and persist in green roof habitats. One study incorporating land snail surveys on green roofs was located via literature search, documenting four species found on two roofs in Finland [7]

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