The Effect of Slope Direction and Population Density on Water Influx in a Desert Snail, Trochoidea seetzenii

Abstract

Water is a limiting resource in deserts. Therefore, when examining relationships between a desert organism and its environment, water influx can be used as an integrated physiological and ecological response. The desert snail Trochoidea seetzenii is widely distributed in the Negev desert (...) Water influx, using tritiated water, was measured in T.s. when only dew was available as a free water source and when snails used shrubs as their microenvironment. Measurements were made on snails on north and south facing slopes of a watershed and a low and high snail densities