Abstract
This study investigated the extend to which the snail <em>Columella edentula</em> is more strongly associated with the small balsam <em>Impatiens parviflora</em> than with other plants in the herb layer of an oak-hornbeam forest, and to interpret the character of the interaction <em>Impatiens parviflora</em> - <em>Columella edentula</em>. Numbers of <em>C. edentula</em> and rates of colonization were compared on various plant species under natural and laboratory conditions. Seasonal variation in snail abundance on <em>I. parviflora</em> was observed on permanent plots. The leaf injuries caused by <em>C. edentula</em> were localized in respect of the morphological and anatomical structure of leaves. The results show that <em>I. parviflora</em> is one of the plant species of the herb layer that are most abundantly colonized by this snail in oak-hornbeam forest. Snail finds a plant particularly suitable as a place for resting. The most favoured attachment site is on the underside of the leaf, along the midrib, which provides the highest and relatively stable humidity, as well as protection from direct sunlight and predators. <em>I. parviflora</em> is also a food for the snails, but they do not eat these fragments of leaves where calcium carbonate is accumulated.
Highlights
Gastropod distribution and abundance are affected by a number of biotic and abiotic factors, which have been discussed by many authors (Wäreborn 1970, 1982; Vaátko 1973; Solem 1974; Shikov 1979; Baidashnikov 1992; Ondina et al 1998)
Impatiens parviflora Galeobdolon luteum Pulmonaria obscura Ulmus laevis Carpinus betulus Aegopodium podagraria Oxalis acetosella Milium effusum Viola riviniana Adoxa moschatellina Moehringia trinervia Tilia cordata the degree of cover by this plant), was significantly higher than N values for most other species found in the herb layer: for 7 of 8 accompanying species on plot K and for 6 of 8 species on plot L
Under conditions of moderate shading, individuals of C. edentula were frequent on I. parviflora and Adoxa moschatelina, while in the gap the snail preferred three species: I. parviflora, Viola riviniana, and Aegopodium podagraria (Table 2)
Summary
Gastropod distribution and abundance are affected by a number of biotic and abiotic factors, which have been discussed by many authors (Wäreborn 1970, 1982; Vaátko 1973; Solem 1974; Shikov 1979; Baidashnikov 1992; Ondina et al 1998). Plants often provide suitable microhabitats for snails and some snail species, especially herbivorus, are associated with particular plants (Cain and Currey 1967; Chatfield 1972, 1976; Pallant 1972; Nicorti 1980; Speiser and Rowell-Rahier 1991; Iglesias and Castillejo 1999). Most information on the issue, is derived from accidental malacological or floristic observations; published data on snail-plant association are scanty. Earlier observations on Impatiens parviflora, in forests of the Wielkopolska National Park (western Poland), suggest that Columella edentula might prefer this alien species to native plants (Piskorz, 2004). This prompted the present study, which was aimed at explaining this apparent preference.
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