Chapter 3 North Carolina Species
shells (Skeldon et al. 2007) . Some research suggests that snail abundance and diversity can serve as an indicator for the effects of acid deposition (Hamburg et al. 2003; Skeldon et al. 2007) .
Contamination of freshwater habitats by chemicals, sediments, heavy metals and other substances has been recognized as a serious ecological impact to all wildlife. Chemicals that affect survival and persistence (e.g., endocrine disrupting compounds or EDCs) in vertebrates and other mollusks can also affect freshwater snails (Fox 2005; Iguchi and Katsu 2008) . There is also growing concern for salinization of freshwater systems from man-made sources such as road deicing, wastewater and mining effluents, oil and gas extraction methods, agricultural practices (Suski et al. 2012) , and upstream encroachment of saltwater (salt wedge) facilitated by increased navigational dredging and sea level rise. Species invasions have a demonstrated detrimental effect on the biodiversity of all mollusks, including snails (Lydeard et al. 2004; Lysne et al. 2008), directly through competition for resources, such as food and space, and indirectly through changes in ecosystem function (Hall et al. 2003; Richards 2004; Kerans et al. 2005; Lysne et al. 2008) . Many species of terrestrial gastropod, including those found throughout North Carolina, are known to be vectors for common parasites. For instance, the Flamed Tigersnail is known to be an intermediary host for Parelaphostrongylus tenuis , a common meningeal nematode parasite of White-tailed Deer and other ungulate species (Lankester and Anderson 1968; Anderson and Prestwood 1981; Garvon and Bird 2005) . Invasive and nonnative snails impact native species both directly and indirectly (Brown et al. 2008) . Direct impacts include competition for food and space, and indirect impacts can occur when invasives or nonnatives create changes in ecosystem function (Brown et al. 2008) , introduce new parasites or pathogens, or act as predators that consume adults and/or juveniles. North Carolina is home to the only known population of the state-listed endangered Greenfield Ramshorn, a large planorbid snail historically found only in Greenfield Lake and Orton Pond. Likewise, the Magnificent Ramshorn was historically known from two freshwater ponds in Brunswick County. When populations are so small, confined to specific landscapes, or associated with unique habitats, they are at extreme risk of extinction from any threat but more so from transportation, utility, and development (Mallin 2010) . Application of prescribed fire is an important management tool for fire dependent habitats and the species that rely on these habitats. Snail species that occur in the leaf litter will be most affected by prescribed and wild fire, especially when fire burns down to the soil surface or into the organic layer (i.e., duff) (Puig-Girones et al. 2023) .
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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