Diversity, abundance and distribution of gastropoda in a tropical agricultural village in Kadavoor, Kerala, India

Baby, Brigitt and Cyril, Aleena Elizabeth and K. Joseph, Gigi (2023) Diversity, abundance and distribution of gastropoda in a tropical agricultural village in Kadavoor, Kerala, India. Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation (Malaysia), 20. 97-109.. ISSN 2550-1909

Gastropods are an ecologically significant taxon which take part in crucial ecosystem services like nutrient cycling, food web, calcium cycle, pollination and seed dispersal. The gastropod diversity of Kadavoor village was studied for eight months in monoculture plantations of pineapple, rubber, banana, mixed crop agroecosystems, paddy fields and freshwater bodies. Random sampling was employed monthly in five quadrats of 1 * 1 square metre. A total of 14 species belonging to two subclasses, four orders and nine families were recorded. These include land snails, freshwater snails, slugs and semislugs. Six out of 14 species recorded are endemic to the Indian subcontinent. Two invasive species namely Laevicaulis alte and Allopeas gracile were recorded. It is notable that Achatina fulica was not recorded during our study. Ariophantidae was the most abundant family followed by Subulinidae. The mixed crop agroecosystem was found to be more species-rich than monoculture plantations which might be due to an increase in microhabitats and leaf litter layer. The Simpson’s diversity index values are highest for the rubber plantation and lowest for the banana plantation since the species are more evenly distributed in the rubber plantation. Mariaella dussumieri is a constant species in all three monoculture plantations since its constancy value is greater than 50%. Sorenson’s similarity index for species composition between monoculture ecosystems is high but variable. Microhabitats of snails in all these ecosystems were also recorded. The study is a first attempt at the gastropod diversity of agroecosystems in Kerala and would help in the conservation and management of the gastropods.

Full text available from: Official URL: https://jurcon.ums.edu.my/ojums/index.php/jtbc/art...

Abstract

Gastropods are an ecologically significant taxon which take part in crucial ecosystem services like nutrient cycling, food web, calcium cycle, pollination and seed dispersal. The gastropod diversity of Kadavoor village was studied for eight months in monoculture plantations of pineapple, rubber, banana, mixed crop agroecosystems, paddy fields and freshwater bodies. Random sampling was employed monthly in five quadrats of 1 * 1 square metre. A total of 14 species belonging to two subclasses, four orders and nine families were recorded. These include land snails, freshwater snails, slugs and semislugs. Six out of 14 species recorded are endemic to the Indian subcontinent. Two invasive species namely Laevicaulis alte and Allopeas gracile were recorded. It is notable that Achatina fulica was not recorded during our study. Ariophantidae was the most abundant family followed by Subulinidae. The mixed crop agroecosystem was found to be more species-rich than monoculture plantations which might be due to an increase in microhabitats and leaf litter layer. The Simpson’s diversity index values are highest for the rubber plantation and lowest for the banana plantation since the species are more evenly distributed in the rubber plantation. Mariaella dussumieri is a constant species in all three monoculture plantations since its constancy value is greater than 50%. Sorenson’s similarity index for species composition between monoculture ecosystems is high but variable. Microhabitats of snails in all these ecosystems were also recorded. The study is a first attempt at the gastropod diversity of agroecosystems in Kerala and would help in the conservation and management of the gastropods.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Gastropoda
AGROVOC Term:	Mollusca
AGROVOC Term:	biodiversity
AGROVOC Term:	data collection
AGROVOC Term:	sampling
AGROVOC Term:	statistical methods
AGROVOC Term:	choice of species
AGROVOC Term:	species diversity
Geographical Term:	India
Depositing User:	Ms. Azariah Hashim
Date Deposited:	17 Nov 2025 07:12
Last Modified:	17 Nov 2025 07:13
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1626

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