Effect of pollutants on the oviposition and embryo development of the invasive snail Physella acuta (Gastropoda: Physidae)

ABSTRACT

The varied types of detergent are considered as contaminants in the freshwater environment and interfere with the bio-ecology of macroinvertebrates. Based on this proposition, a study was conducted to examine the impact of detergents and acidic bathroom cleaners on the oviposition and embryo development of the invasive snail Physella acuta (Draparnaud, 1805) (Gastropoda: Physidae). Laboratory-based experiments were carried out to observe the oviposition pattern and embryo development under varied concentrations of commercially available detergent and bathroom cleaner. The invasive snail, P. acuta, breeds throughout the year, and its reproduction positively correlates with shell length. The results of this study implied that the fecundity and hatching rate were reduced and varied with detergent and bathroom cleaner concentrations compared to the control group. Among the treatments, the higher doses of bathroom cleaners impaired the embryo development of P. acuta. The results suggest that the colonization and establishment of the invasive snail P. acuta in the new habitats may be affected by detergent contamination of the freshwater habitats. While the present study aims to provide a link between the detergent and oviposition pattern of the freshwater snail, further studies should be carried out to deduce the long-term effects of the detergents on the population dynamics of P. acuta.

KEYWORDS:

• Bathroom cleaner
• detergent
• Physa
• reproduction
• probit analysis

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the reviewers for their valuable and constructive comments that helped to refine and improve the manuscript to its current state. The authors are grateful to the Head, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India, for the facilities provided in carrying out this work (including the facilities from DST-FIST and UGC UPE II, Government of India).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author’s contribution

Conceptualized and compiled by GA; data collection by NT and GN, PP. Data analysis and compilation of the article by GN, PP and GA.

Data availability statement

The data pertaining to the experiments and results of this article can be made available upon authentic and reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

Gargi Nandy acknowledges the University Grants Commission, Government of India, for the financial assistance through the sanction number Sr. No. 2121430436, Ref. No: 21/12/2014(ii) EU-V, dated 08/06/2015. Pranesh Paul acknowledges the financial support of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India [09/028(1115)/2019-EMR-1].