A Survey of Terrestrial Gastropods of the Alice L. Kibbe Life Science Station in West-Central Illinois

Terrestrial gastropods are vital components in terrestrial ecosystems and are thought to play a key role in litter decomposition and nutrient release in temperate and tropical forests. As part of an effort to expand our knowledge of gastropod diversity in west-central Illinois, we conducted a survey...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Northeastern naturalist 2015-06, Vol.22 (2), p.299-306
Main Authors: Hauk, Andrea, Clark, Stephanie A, McCravy, Kenneth W, Jenkins, Seán E, Lydeard, Charles
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Climate change
Forests
Habitats
Mollusks
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Summary:Terrestrial gastropods are vital components in terrestrial ecosystems and are thought to play a key role in litter decomposition and nutrient release in temperate and tropical forests. As part of an effort to expand our knowledge of gastropod diversity in west-central Illinois, we conducted a survey of terrestrial gastropods of the Alice L. Kibbe Life Science Station in west-central Illinois from April to May 2013. We sampled at 9 different sites within representative stands of 5 of the prevalent forest types at the station and documented a total of 20 species representing 11 families and 17 genera, including 12 new records for Hancock County. The Polygyridae was the most diverse family (7 species). Although this study sheds additional light on the terrestrial gastropod fauna of west-central Illinois, further surveys are needed to establish baseline data and assess future trends in response to habitat modification and climate change throughout the region.
ISSN:1092-6194
1938-5307
DOI:10.1656/045.022.0206