Snail Question..

[HB87]

Sorry if this isnt where this goes....

My moms snail keeps having babies. She only has 1 adult snail. She wanted me to ask how/why it keeps reproducing when theres just the one adult. Im curious myself LOL. Anyone care to explain? Thanks!

 

[absolutangel04]

Before I break out into a long, nerdy talk about snail reproduction, can you tell us what kind of snail it is?

 

[GodFan]

Some snails (particularly the ones we dont like) can reproduce with out a mate through asexual reproduction.

 

[HB87]

Just a basic black snail from Petsmart. Im not sure the name sorry

 

[maxwellag]

Just a basic black snail from Petsmart. Im not sure the name sorry

Can you post a picture? And what color is it?

 

[HB87]

Here is the best i could get... The tank isnt green... Its the lighting or my camera.. Sorry LOL.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Some snails (particularly the ones we dont like) can reproduce with out a mate through asexual reproduction.

Actually, that is incorrect. Why some snails are hemaphroditic (i.e. contain both male and female reproductive organs), they are not capable of asexual reproduction. Hermaphroditic reproduction which is very common in plants (fertilization of egg with sperm from the same parent) is not asexual, but rather sexual in nature. To my knowledge very few if any species of snails are capable of self-fertilization, most are cross-fertilizing hermaphrodites (ie. each parent fertilizes the others eggs). Several species of snails however are capable of storing sperm over a period of time, and then fertilizing their eggs at a later date. I would guess that that is the most likely explaination here.

 

[absolutangel04]

I agree with Wy. Some snails are indeed capable of asexual reproduction, but not the species commonly available in the aquarium trade. I beleive those black snails are a type of apple snail. They are often called black mystery snails even though they are a different species from the gold/white mystery snails you usually see. As apple snails, they need both a male and female inorder to reproduce. However, females can store sperm.
So, either you have a female who stored sperm, or else you actually have some tiny "pest snails" who hitch-hiked in one plants and are now reproducing. Any new plants within the last few months?

 

[Wy Renegade]

I agree with Wy. Some snails are indeed capable of asexual reproduction, but not the species commonly available in the aquarium trade. I beleive those black snails are a type of apple snail. They are often called black mystery snails even though they are a different species from the gold/white mystery snails you usually see. As apple snails, they need both a male and female inorder to reproduce. However, females can store sperm.
So, either you have a female who stored sperm, or else you actually have some tiny "pest snails" who hitch-hiked in one plants and are now reproducing. Any new plants within the last few months?

Just for my own education purposes, perhaps as well as those of some others, could you post a list of those snails that undergo asexual reproduction? I was aware that some flatworms, insects and sea stars reproduce asexually, but was not aware that any snails did.

 

[absolutangel04]

The one I specificly remember off the top of my head is the New Zealand freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Some varieties of it are asexual and some are sexual. I remember this one because I have read some scientific studies about it where geneticists and scientists aretrying to figure out why it does both.
I am sure there are a couple of others too and I can try to look them all up again.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

While on the snail topic, this is what I got from this thread here.

No. Asexual implies an organism that clones itself. Budding and binary fissionwould be examples of asexual reproduction in animals. Snails can be hermaphrodites, which means they have both male and female sex organs. This does not mean they fertilize themselves-- but rather, when two hermaphroditic snails meet, both have the capability to leave with sperm to fertilize their eggs. It is still sexual reproduction because a different animals sperm fertilizes the egg.

From what I have heard or read, some invertebrates can store sperm from a prior mating for quite some time. However, I'd be interested to hear the answers to TK's questions too.

 

[Wy Renegade]

The one I specificly remember off the top of my head is the New Zealand freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Some varieties of it are asexual and some are sexual. I remember this one because I have read some scientific studies about it where geneticists and scientists aretrying to figure out why it does both.
I am sure there are a couple of others too and I can try to look them all up again.

Spot On! Thank you for the information, I'd love the list of additionals as well.

For anyone who is interested;
Potamopygus

 

[absolutangel04]

@Bruinsbro, yes, there is a difference between asexual reproduction and hermaphroditism. Most snails are hermaphrodites, but some can reproduce asexually. The univeristy of Iowa has done studies on the New Zealand FW snail reproducing asexually. I cannot link the studies because they are not free unless you have a subscription (which the university I graduated from does).

 

[ashleynicole]

"Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only, it is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization."




"Malaysian Trumpet Snails, Melanoides tuberculata, are a small but very valuable and useful resident of aquariums. These elongated snails are unlike other snails. They do not eat plants (although they will eat dead leaves or decaying plants), which makes them safe for the planted aquarium. MTS reproduce by a process called parthenogenesis, i.e., they are livebearers that do not require two parents. The individual snail carries both male and female organisms, so that it can reproduce by itself, asexually."


asexual reproduction means that the offspring come from one parent. Even if that parent is a hermaphrodite having both male and female parts that means they can reproduce sexually with another snail, they can still reproduce asexually through parthenogenesis. I may be wrong, but that is my understanding.


Here are a few more resources:

http://regentsprep.org/regents/biology/units/reproduction/asexual.cfm
Asexual Reproduction
Reproduction and development are necessary for the continuation of any species. Asexual reproduction is a method of reproduction with all the genetic information coming from one parent.


http://biology.about.com/od/genetics/ss/Asexual-Reproduction.htm
Parthenogenesis

• This type of reproduction involves the development of an egg that has not been fertilized into an individual.
• Animals like most kinds of wasps, bees, and ants that have no sex chromosomes reproduce by this process. Some reptiles and fish are also capable of reproducing in this manner.

 

[Wy Renegade]

See there, even an old science nerd with a white lab coat learns new things by hanging out on the forums .

Life is about learning.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

@angel, after some research, I did find out that some NZ snails do do that, ex. NZ mud snails

 

[Wy Renegade]

"Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only, it is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization."




"Malaysian Trumpet Snails, Melanoides tuberculata, are a small but very valuable and useful resident of aquariums. These elongated snails are unlike other snails. They do not eat plants (although they will eat dead leaves or decaying plants), which makes them safe for the planted aquarium. MTS reproduce by a process called parthenogenesis, i.e., they are livebearers that do not require two parents. The individual snail carries both male and female organisms, so that it can reproduce by itself, asexually."


asexual reproduction means that the offspring come from one parent. Even if that parent is a hermaphrodite having both male and female parts, it is still a form of asexual reproduction.

Have to argue that one a bit, the definition above specifically states that it does not include fertilization. If you have a hermaphroditic situation, even if a single parent is providing both the sperm and the egg, fertilization is still occuring. In most cases I've seen, sexual reproduction is defined as "reproduction involving the union of two specialized reproductive cells or gamates.", it does not preclude the production of offspring from a single parent. Hermaphroditic reproduction is considered sexual not asexual.

 

[ashleynicole]

Have to argue that one a bit, the definition above specifically states that it does not include fertilization. If you have a hermaphroditic situation, even if a single parent is providing both the sperm and the egg, fertilization is still occuring. In most cases I've seen, sexual reproduction is defined as "reproduction involving the union of two specialized reproductive cells or gamates.", it does not preclude the production of offspring from a single parent. Hermaphroditic reproduction is considered sexual not asexual.

I was still editing and adding resources when you quoted be. From my understanding, a hermaphrodite does not self fertilize using their male/female organs but rather will reproduce from a single parent asexually through a process called Parthenogenesis. Hermaphrodites still need a second parent to reproduce sexually.




"In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.[1]
Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both partners can act as the "female" or "male". For example, the great majority of pulmonate snails, opisthobranch snails and slugs are hermaphrodites. Hermaphroditism is also found in some fish species and to a lesser degree in other vertebrates. Most plants are also hermaphrodites."

 

[Wy Renegade]

I was still editing and adding resources when you quoted be. From my understanding, a hermaphrodite does not self fertilize using their male/female organs but rather will reproduce from a single parent asexually through a process called Parthenogenesis. Hermaphrodites still need a second parent to reproduce sexually.

Gotcha, sorry I jumped the gun on you.

Depends on the species, some hemaphroditic animals are quite capable of self-fertilization, and almost all hemaphroditic plants are capable of self-fertilization.

 

[absolutangel04]

@Wy, I am having a hard time finding good info on that at the moment. I will have to look more in-depth later. The new Zealand fw snail is certainly the most heavily studied reguarding this behavior.