By: Farnis B. Boneka, LumingasL. J. L., Pratasik S.E.
The bark of mangrove trees provides refuge for populations of Littoraria scabra, which are subject to predation from both aquatic and terrestrial predators. To elucidate the primary direction of predation, foui Avicennia trees were selected and each seeded with 30 marked snails. These snails were distributed across trees equipped with variously protected net cages: one tree featured a fully enclosed cage preventing access from all predators, another had a cage open above to permit entry of terrestrial predators, while a third had a cage open at the bottom to allow access for aquatic predators. The fourth tree, serving as a control, was left without any net protection. Snail counts were conducted biweekly.
Within the fully enclosed cage, the snail population remained relatively stable over a span of 12 weeks, with survival rates significantly diverging from those observed in other trees. Conversely, on trees partially caged or devoid of net protection, the snail population experienced a sharp decline within the initial four weeks. This observation suggests that aquatic predators, particularly crabs gaining entry from below, preyed upon the Littoraria population. The role of terrestrial predators, accessing the tree trunk from above, remains undetermined.
Source: Jurnal Moluska Indonesia
Comentários