The Escargot-getters of Europe: Using MaxEnt to Investigate the Impact of Temperature on Gastropod Habitat Suitability in Central European Cities.

In many European countries, Arion vulgaris and Cepaea nemoralis are characterised as invasive species (Ożgo and Bogucki 2011, 463, Zając et al. 2017, 81). Arion vulgaris, native to southwestern Europe, has rapidly expanded its range to much of the continent, causing damage as an agricultural pest and having a detrimental impact on the populations of native Arion slugs. Cepaea nemoralis, originating from Western Europe, despite seemingly no detrimental impact of this species in its non-native European habitats having been established to date, has gradually spread to Eastern Europe (Ożgo and Bogucki 2011, 463). Furthermore urban-dwelling snails, and in particular their dispersal potential, remain understudied (Proćków et al. 2019). Maximum Entropy Modelling, using the MaxEnt software, has been used to model the potential distribution of invasive snail species under certain environmental conditions (Sarma, Munsi and Anathram 2015). Such analyses can then be used to monitor invasive...Show moreIn many European countries, Arion vulgaris and Cepaea nemoralis are characterised as invasive species (Ożgo and Bogucki 2011, 463, Zając et al. 2017, 81). Arion vulgaris, native to southwestern Europe, has rapidly expanded its range to much of the continent, causing damage as an agricultural pest and having a detrimental impact on the populations of native Arion slugs. Cepaea nemoralis, originating from Western Europe, despite seemingly no detrimental impact of this species in its non-native European habitats having been established to date, has gradually spread to Eastern Europe (Ożgo and Bogucki 2011, 463). Furthermore urban-dwelling snails, and in particular their dispersal potential, remain understudied (Proćków et al. 2019). Maximum Entropy Modelling, using the MaxEnt software, has been used to model the potential distribution of invasive snail species under certain environmental conditions (Sarma, Munsi and Anathram 2015). Such analyses can then be used to monitor invasive species already present in a region and identify areas of interest due to their vulnerability to invasion or the potential detrimental impact on native species (Kingsbury et al. 2021). Focusing on three Central European cities: Berlin, Prague and Warsaw, MaxEnt modelling was used to investigate the impact of temperature-related data on the habitat suitability of Arion vulgaris and Cepaea nemoralis. The results indicate that the dispersal potential by proxy of habitat suitability for Arion vulgaris and Cepaea nemoralis can be assumed to be influenced by changes in temperature or temperature extremes, which goes in line with prior scientific findings (Nicolai and Ansart 2017, Zając et al. 2017).Show less

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The Escargot-getters of Europe: Using MaxEnt to Investigate the Impact of Temperature on Gastropod Habitat Suitability in Central European Cities.