3.9 Snails
Surveys. Distributional and status surveys need to focus on species believed to be declin- ing or mainly dependent on at-risk or sensitive natural communities.
• Conduct a thorough statewide survey to confrm species distributions beyond river basin and county inventories.
• Continue species distribution surveys for SGCN and knowledge-gap priority species.
Monitoring. Long-term monitoring is critical to assessing species and ecosystem health over time and gauging the resilience of organisms to a changing climate. Studies should include identifcation of population trends, as well as assessment of impacts from conser- vation or development activities. Tese eforts will inform species and habitat management decisions. Long-term monitoring sites need to be identifed and monitoring protocols developed for all priority species. Monitoring plans should be coordinated with other exist- ing monitoring programs where feasible.
• Conduct long-term monitoring to identify population trends.
Research. Research topics that facilitate appropriate conservation actions include habitat use and preferences, reproductive behavior, fecundity, population dynamics and genetics, feeding, competition, and food web dynamics. Increased understanding of life histories and status helps determine the vulnerability of priority species to further imperilment, in addition to identifying possibilities for improved management and conservation. All stud- ies should provide recommendations for mitigation and restoration. Formal descriptions for known or putative undescribed species and investigations aimed at resolving taxo- nomic status are needed.
• Review existing collections to verify NC species records.
• Conduct much-needed taxonomic review on most snails, especially those in family Zonitidae.
• Focus research on life history of SGCN and knowledge gap priority species, including habitat use/preference, fecundity, population dynamics, feeding, competition, and vul- nerability to predation.
• Continue to investigate captive-propagation and reintroduction techniques for rare snail species (e.g., Magnifcent Rams-horn, Greenfeld Rams-horn) (Lysne et al 2008) .
• Investigate species considered a host or vector for pathogens or parasites, their prev- alence, and pathways for infection of White-tailed Deer and other ungulate species. Studies may include collection and testing of deer and elk fecal samples, brain tissue, or vertebral canal tissue (Slomke et al. 1995) .
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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