Preliminary evidence for snail deformation from a Eutrophic lake

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecotoxicology
• Malacology

Background:

• Taihu Lake is experiencing eutrophication, impacting aquatic life.
• Bellamya aeruginosa is a key species in this ecosystem.
• Developmental abnormalities in aquatic organisms can indicate environmental stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the incidence and characteristics of deformities in Bellamya aeruginosa.
• To explore the potential link between eutrophication and observed abnormalities.
• To identify molecular mechanisms underlying these developmental changes.

Main Methods:

• Collected 15,105 Bellamya aeruginosa specimens from Taihu Lake.
• Quantified tentacle bifurcation abnormalities and correlated with Chlorophyll a levels.
• Performed differential gene expression analysis on snail tissues.

Main Results:

• 0.18-0.93% of snails exhibited abnormal tentacle bifurcations.
• Abnormalities were observed in female snails from high Chlorophyll a regions (12.40±7.23μg/L).
• Transcriptomic profiling identified significant gene expression changes in snails from eutrophic areas.

Conclusions:

• Eutrophication-associated factors may cause partial masculinization of female snail tentacles.
• Transcriptomic data provides molecular evidence of environmental stress impacting snail development.
• This study highlights the sensitivity of Bellamya aeruginosa to eutrophication in Taihu Lake.