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Terrestrial gastropods are important decomposers, herbivores, and prey items in forest systems and constitute a poorly understood element of forest biodiversity in Canada. I studied gastropod assemblages in relation to forest cover type and in response to variable retention harvesting in the mixedwood boreal forest of northwestern Alberta. Gastropods were sampled using two methods: board traps and collection of litter samples. Gastropod assemblages were influenced by canopy composition, with most gastropods of the mixedwood showing a strong affinity for broadleaf dominated forests. Tree species mixture influenced gastropod distribution; basal tree area of either conifer or broadleaf trees was generally associated with gastropod distribution within a stand. Harvesting was clearly associated with increased abundance of many species 9 years post-harvest, however, abundance declined for other species. Harvesting with retention helps to maintain pre-harvest boreal gastropod assemblages and will likely conserve boreal gastropod assemblages if used as a tool for biodiversity management. / Conservation Biology

Most models of the impacts of climate change on the distributions of animals have focused on limits to thermal tolerances of individual species. Such "bioclimatic envelope" models do not consider the importance of interactions among species, each of which may respond to climate change in its own way. Hermit crabs (Paguridae) cannot exist without shells produced by gastropods. Thus, their ranges are expected to depend not only on their own physiological tolerances, but also on tolerances of gastropod species that produce shells of suitable sizes for growing crabs that use successively larger shells. To assess their potential importance to range shifts of hermit crabs, I characterized these commensal relationships over a large area of the northern Bering Sea in May to early June. Of 1539 hermit crabs collected, Pagurus rathbuni comprised 55%, P. trigonocheirus 44%, and Labidochirus splendescens 1%, with only four individuals of three other Pagurus species. Species richness for all living gastropods in my study area was 26 species, of which 18 were used by hermit crabs. P. rathbuni used shells of mostly moon snails (Naticidae); only 7 to 19% used whelk shells (Buccinidae) in the first four size classes, and 34% in the largest size class. P. trigonocheirus also used shells of mainly moon snails, but its use of whelk shells ranged from 18 to 44% in the first four size classes, and 70% in the largest size class. Densities of P. rathbuni and P. trigonocheirus varied independently of each other (r2 = 0.08, p = 0.09, N = 36 stations). Other studies suggest that hermit crabs obtain most of their shells from gastropods that have recently died, and that such empty shells are available for a relatively short period before being buried in sediments; thus, available shells should resemble the local pool among living gastropods. Correlation of P. rathbuni densities with densities of living gastropods with suitable shells was weak (r2 = 0.18, p < 0.01, N = 36 stations), while there was no correlation for P. trigonocheirus (r2 < 0.01, p = 0.59). Density patterns of hermit crabs within the five size classes did not correspond to those of living gastropods with suitable shells (randomization tests of independence, all p < 0.002). These results suggest that in the northern Bering Sea, initial effects of climate change on hermit crab distributions will depend more strongly on factors other than concurrent effects on dispersion of gastropods.

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Endocrine and metabolic disease or dysfunctions are of growing concern in modern societies across the globe, underlining the need for continued focus on the development of pharmaceuticals. Subsequent scientific research has revealed a trend in the increase of such abnormalities and expansion of chemical industries, highlighting concerns that these disorders may, in part, be caused by exposure to environmental pollutants. This has led to changes in legislation concerning chemicals safety testing involving an increasing number of vertebrate animal tests as a part of environmental risk assessment process, at significant financial and ethical costs. A solution that is appropriate and aligned with the three R’s (reduction, refinement and replacement) in relation to animal research is to exploit the use of small invertebrate organisms as possible replacements for mammals. In line with the above approach/solution, this thesis is based on the null hypothesis that common genes, proteins and processes in gastropod molluscs and humans underlie the response of male reproductive organs to androgenic chemicals. Using a freshwater pulmonate snail, Biomphalaria glabrata, physiological effects of two steroid androgens on the development of mollusc secondary sexual organs were studied. Furthermore, an exhaustive investigation on the mollusc nuclear receptor repertoire and reproductive type neuropeptides was conducted. This also included the study of the evolutionary degree of conservation of these genes in non-model molluscs. The results obtained suggest that the snails did not respond to, and were not affected by exposure to the androgens. These results were supported by the absence of the members of subfamily 3C of nuclear receptors, which includes some of the “vertebrate” steroid hormone targets, suggesting that this mollusc may be an inappropriate model for steroid hormone mediated mammalian endocrine function. The nuclear receptor (NR) repertoire of B. glabrata comprised of 39 nuclear receptors representing all the known subfamilies of the NR superfamily. 21 reproductive type neuropeptide genes were identified encoding precursors that are predicted to release over 124 bioactive cleavage products. The consequence of these findings is significant in the context of the development of alternative model organisms for chemical testing as well as elucidating the taxonomic scope of nuclear receptor mediated endocrine disruption.

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