The effect of snail Pomacea canaliculata nutrition on some plants in ShatAl-Arab River,Basrah,Iraq

Abstract

The snail Pomacea canaliculata (Gastropoda: ampullariidae) is a typical feeder of large aquatic
plants in many parts of the world. We conducted laboratory tests to assess aquatic plant consumption in the
Shatal-Arab River in Basra south of Iraq. To assess their preference for food, six water plant species were
introduced to the snail P. canaliculata in a laboratory. This test was carried out between January and December
2017 to determine the feeding rates of some freshwater plans by the P. canaliculata gastropod. Snail samples
were obtained from aquatic plants from ponds in tidal areas on the shore of the Shatal-Arab River near the
Salhiya Canal. Phragmite australis, Typha domingensis, Bacopa monniera,Lemna minor, Ceratophyllum
demersum, Potamogeton crispus. The temperature and salinity of the water cause disappear of aquatic plants
virtually disappears in winter, contributing to lower snail numbers this season. Statistically significant variations
(P < 0.05) were found in the field collected between snails on five aquatic plants. in this analysis, snails prefer c.
demersum, L. minor and P. crispus, while The number of snails decreased dramatically from T. domingensis
and P. australis.
The findings have shown that the highest food preferences and consumption rates was P. canaliculata bred on
Lemna, Bacopa, Ceratophyllum and Potamogetones but that all snails who obtained Phragmites displayed the
lowest food consumption rates and the lowest food preference, far different from the others. But Bacopa,
Lemna, Ceratophyllum and Potamogeton are not available because of their intake.