Looking for Snails in Three MELNHE Stands. Stephanie Suttenberg, REU, SUNY ESF ‘17. Hubbard Brook Annual Cooperator's Meeting, W. Thornton, NH, July 10, 2014. Please see REU/RET conference slideshow for more recent results and interpretations.

1. Looking for Snails in
Three MELNHE Stands
STEPHANIE SUTTENBERG
SUNY ESF ‘17
SHOESTRING CREW

2. Background
 Snails are found in leaf litter (Oi layer)
 Need to be damp
 Snails need Ca (Skeldon et al 2007)
 Watershed 1
 Increase numbers
 Not useable
 Little research on N and P
 Low phosphorus, lower growth (Krist 2014)
 High nitrogen, higher snail population (Stuart
A. 2014)

3. Hypotheses
 More in N plots compared to control
 More in P plots compared to control
 More in Ca compared to control
 More in N&P plot than N, P and control

4. Methods
 Cardboards placed in C6, C8, JBO and JBM
 Selected for Ca
 Two 8.5x11in cardboard sheets are laid out in each
outer point
>.25 inch rain event
top layers of leaf litter are dry
One plot

5. Collection Methods
 Check underside of cardboard for
snails
 Snails collected in pre-labeled vials
 Randomized complete block design
ANOVA
 Future collections

6. Collection Methods
 Check underside of cardboard for
snails
 Snails collected in pre-labeled vials
 Randomized complete block design
ANOVA
 Future collections

7. Results
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C6 C8 JBO
NumberofSnails
Total Snails Collected in
Fertilizer Plots

8. Results
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C6 C8 JBO
NumberofSnails
Total Snails Collected in
Fertilizer Plots • Compared to
Control
• N – Always
lower

9. Results
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C6 C8 JBO
NumberofSnails
Total Snails Collected in
Fertilizer Plots • Compared to
Control
• N – Always
lower
• P- lower in C6
and C8

10. Results
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C6 C8 JBO
NumberofSnails
Total Snails Collected in
Fertilizer Plots • Compared to
Control
• N – Always
lower
• P- lower in C6
and C8
• N&P- Always
lower

11. Results
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C
N
P
N&P
Ca
C6 C8 JBO
NumberofSnails
Total Snails Collected in
Fertilizer Plots • Compared to
Control
• N – Always
lower
• P- lower in C6
and C8
• N&P- Always
lower
• Ca – higher in
JBO

12. N and P decreased snail
abundance
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
C N P N&P Ca
NumberofSnails
Treatment
a
a b
c c
b
c
LS Means Blocked by Stan

13. Discussion
Hypotheses Outcome
N
P
N&P
Ca

14. Discussion
 Average of 3.4 snails/m^2
7.6 snails/m^2 (Skeldon et al
2014)
Leaf litter too damp?
 Two phase model for N
 Initial die off, but then favor snail reproduction
and survival (Stuart 2014)
 Recently fertilized (June)

15. Future Research
 More collections this summer
 Taxa of individuals will be determined
 Different forest types – not just northern
hardwood
 Seasonal change
 Varying levels of leaf litter dryness

16. Citations
 Krist, Amy C., Adam D. Kay, Katelyn Larkin,
Maurine Neiman. 2014. Response to Phosphorus
Limitation Varies among Lake Populations of the
Freshwater Snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum
 Skeldon, M. et al 2007. Terrestrial gastropod
response to an ecosystem-level calcium
manipulation in a northern hardwood forest.
 Stuart, A., & Palenzuela, N. 2014 Effects of fertilizer
applications on survival and recruitment of the
apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata
(Lamarck). Crop Protection.

17. Acknowledgements
 I’d like to thank Eli, Jerome, Nora and Abby for
setting out cardboards
 Adam and Ruth for much needed advice in
layouts, stats and methods
 Eli, Lisa, Adam, Sophie and Justin for collecting
snails
 Matt Vadeboncoeur and Cheryl Bondi for helping
with methods