Abstract
Species, through their structure and composition, have evolved to respond to environmental constraints. Predator–prey interactions are among environmental pressures that can lead to speciation, but it remains unclear how this pressure can be related to the material structure and performance. Recently, two land snails, Karaftohelix editha and Karaftohelix gainesi, were found to exhibit divergent phenotypes and responses to predation despite sharing the same habitat and most of their genome. Indeed, under attack from a beetle, K. editha snails retract into their shell whereas K. gainesi snails swing their shell. In this paper, we looked at the microstructure, composition, morphology and mechanics of the shells of those two species and discuss potential relationships between material structure and the snail defence behaviour. The results of this study provide additional arguments for the role of predator–prey interactions on speciation, as well as an unusual approach for the design of biomimetic structures adapted to a particular function.
Highlights
There is a general consensus that biological composites have evolved optimal structures to withstand the environmental constraints they are submitted to
An earlier study reported drastically different defence strategies [16]: K. editha snails hide inside their shell under threat, whereas K. gainesi snails swing their shell to prevent the approach of the beetle
K. gainesi was found to swing their shells in a periodic manner and at increasing velocity
Summary
There is a general consensus that biological composites have evolved optimal structures to withstand the environmental constraints they are submitted to. The porous hierarchical architecture with oriented fibres found in bamboo stems contributes to its flexibility, toughness and resistance to transverse forces [1]. Gradients in mineral concentration, crystallinity level and hardness generate tortuous crack deflections to sustain repeated shocks without catastrophic royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos R. Karaftohelix editha (b) snail passive defence of K. editha predator snail predator 0 s. 0.6 s active defence of K. gainesi 1 cm 1.2 s 1 cm. Sea of Japan Japan Karaftohelix gainesi (c) columella (d) 4.
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