title: Field studies on the annual activity and the metabolic responses of a land snail population living in high altitude.
abstract: In the context of the metabolic cold adaptation hypothesis (MCA), we investigated a) the life and activity cycle characteristics and b) the metabolic responses of the endemic land snail species Cattania trizona olympica living at 1100m altitude in Olympus mountain (Greece). Field observations on the annual activity cycle of C. trizona olympica revealed that snails' activity was restricted mainly between the end of May and September, when the higher temperatures were recorded, while first matings were recorded in July and the last ones in mid September indicating a restricted favorable time period for reproduction. The activities of enzymes of intermediate metabolism showed a periodic seasonal pattern of change which seems to be closely related to the pattern of annual changes of air temperature and most of them exhibited higher activities during the coldest and warmest periods of the year. Moreover the data indicate a distinct differentiation of fuel oxidation during arousal and reproductive periods with lipid oxidation, apart from carbohydrates, contributing significantly to ATP turnover during reproductive activity. The higher enzymatic activities, determined in the tissues of C. trizona olympica than the corresponding ones determined in the tissues of the land snail species living at low altitudes, might indicate higher sensitivity of the intermediate metabolism and ATP turnover in C. trizona olympica to changes in environmental factors. Although the latter seems to be in line with the MCA hypothesis, it needs further investigation on metabolic rates to support it.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Zoology, Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Staikou
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Zoology, Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tachtatzis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Feidantsis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Basile
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Michaelidis
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D006115:Greece; D007700:Kinetics; D012621:Seasons; D012908:Snails / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: Annual activity; Land snails; MCA; Metabolism; Temperature