title: Supercooling ability is surprisingly invariable in eggs of the land snail Cantareus aspersus.
abstract: From an ontogenetic point of view, invertebrate eggs are generally the most freezing intolerant stage of a species. Development state, water content and acclimation may affect their supercooling ability. In this study, we measured fresh mass, water content and temperature of crystallisation (T(c)) of eggs of the edible land snail Cantareus aspersus, depending on its form ("aspersa"vs. "maxima"), incubation temperature (20, 12 and 7 degrees C) and physiological age (as part of the complete development). We also tested their tolerance to freezing. Despite a high number of individual observations (n=759) and significant differences of fresh mass and water content between both subspecies, no effect of origin, incubation temperature or development state has been found in this study. T(c) remained constant whatever the condition, with an overall mean of -5.40+/-0.24 degrees C (mean+/-SD). We suggest that fresh mass is important, a high water content and a constantly wet surface confer to land snail eggs a poor ability to supercool. Moreover, the presence of ice nucleating agents at the egg surface (microorganisms present in the soil, calcium carbonate crystals of the egg shell) might induce freezing. Thus, considering the present results, to delay hatching by cryopreservation of eggs does not seem possible.
authors.affiliation: Université de Rennes 1, UMR 6553 Ecobio, Evolution des Histoires de Vie, Equipe EHV, bâtiment 14A, 263 Avenue du Général Leclerc, CS 74205, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France. armelle.ansart@univ-rennes1.fr
authors.forename: Armelle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ansart
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Madec
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vernon
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D000818:Animals; D003081:Cold Climate; D003080:Cold Temperature; D010063:Ovum / Q000502:physiology*; D012908:Snails / Q000502:physiology*