Small Size Gastropod Fauna from the Matli Geothermal Spring, Bhagirathi Valley, Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand: Ecological Implications
Authors
-
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur - 721 302
Nikitasha Chatterjee -
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur - 721 302
Anil K. Gupta
-
Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, 33, GMS Road, Dehradun – 248 001
Sameer K. Tiwari
-
Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Brown University, Providence
Steven C. Clemens
-
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur - 721 302
Kanishak Sharma
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-022-1926-0Keywords:
No KeywordsAbstract
The occurrence of freshwater molluscs in the geothermal springs is reported by numerous workers in different parts of the world. However, reports of such occurrences in the Indian subcontinent are either scanty or are not available in the published literature. In this study, a swarm of small size gastropod community have been encountered in the vicinity of Matli geothermal spring, which is located on the right bank of the downstream Bhagirathi river in the Garhwal Himalaya in Uttarakhand, India. Gastropod samples were collected from 3 locations near the spring and water samples were collected from the spring and the river. The samples were identified as belonging to the species Lymnaea acuminata Lamarck, 1822 according to their form and habitat. The abundance, size and thickness of the snails were higher near the spring than near the Bhagirathi river. The δ18Oshell and δ13Cshell values of all the bulk samples range from − 8.2 to − 7.8‰ (VPDB) and from − 9.5‰ (VPDB) to − 6.5‰ (VPDB), respectively. Since the temperature of the geothermal spring remains constant irrespective of seasons, no significant intra-shell variation in δ18Oshell is observed, while intra—shell δ13Cshell values show significant variation reflecting season change. Lymnaea accuminata is originally a freshwater gastropod which is found all along the Ganga-Brahmaputra watersheds. This species prefers a habitat near the geothermal spring owing to the abundance of nutrients in spring water and other physiological factors.
Downloads
Metrics
Issue
Section
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
References
Allen, D.J., Mollur, S., Daniel (compilers) (2010) The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in the Eastern Himalaya. Cambridge, UK and Gland, Switzerland: IUCN, and Coimbatore, India: Zoo Outreach Organization.
Allan, J.K., and Wiggins, W.D. (1993) Appendix I: Conventions for Reporting Isotope Data, Book Tittle: CN 36: Dolomite Reservoirs: Geochemical Techniques for Evaluating Origin and Distribution. American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Special Volume.
Amiotte-Suchet, P., Aubert, D., Probst, J.L., Gauthier – Lafaye, F., Probst, A., Andreux, F., Viville, D. (1999) d13C pattern of dissolved inorganic carbon in a small granitic catchment: the Strengbach case study Vosges mountains, France. Chemical Geol., v.1, pp.129–145.
Brues, C.T. (1924). Observations on animal life in the thermal waters of Yellowstone Park, with a consideration of the thermal environment. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, v.59, pp. 371-438.
Carter, A., Clemens, S., Kobota, Y., Holbourn, A., Martin, A. (2017) Differing oxygen isotopic signals of two Globigerinoides ruber (white) morphotypes in the East China Sea: Implications for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Marine Micropaleont., v.131, pp.1–9.
Dalesman, S., and Lukowiak, K. (2010) Effect of acute exposure to low environmental calcium on respiration and locomotion in Lymnaea stagnalis (L.). Jour. Experimental Biology, v.213, pp.1471-1476
Dettman, D.L., Reische, A.K., Lohmann, K.C. (1999) Controls on the stable isotope composition of seasonal growth bands in aragonitic fresh-water bivalves (unionidae). Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, v.63, pp. 1049–1058.
Dey and Mitra (2000) Molluscs of the Himalya. Zoological Survey of India, v.98 (Part 2), pp.5–50.
Gajurel, A.P., France-Lanord, C., Huyghe, P., Guilmette, C., Gurung, D. (2006) C and O isotope compositions of modern fresh-water mollusc shells and river waters from the Himalaya and Ganga plain. Chemical Geol., v.233, pp.156–183.
Gaten, E. (1986) Life cycle of Lymnaea peregra (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) in the Leicester canal, U.K., with an estimate of annual production. Hydrobiologia, v.135, pp.45–54. GSI (2000) Geothermal Atlas of India. Geol. Surv. India Spec. Publ., pp.19– 143.
Grossman, E.L. and Ku, T.L. (1986) Oxygen and carbon isotope fractionation in biogenic aragonite: Temperature effects. Chemical Geol.: Isotope Geoscience Section, v.59, pp.59–74.
Jigyasu, H.V., and Singh, V.K. (2010) Effect of environmental factors on the fecundity, hatchability and survival of snail Lymnaea (Radix) acuminata (Lamarck): vector of fascioliasis. Jour. Water and Health, v.8, pp.109– 115.
Lukowiak, K., Ringseis, E., Spencer, G., Syed, N. (1996) Operant conditioning of aerial respiratory behavior in Lymnaea Stagnalis. The Jour. Experimental Biology, v.199, pp. 683–691.
Madan, S., Singh, S., Jauhar, R.K. (2015) Morphometric analysis of freshwater snails along with associated planktonic community at Dudhlee in Doon Valley (Uttarakhand). Jour. Global Biosciences, v.4, pp.2604- 2610.
Majhi, B.M., Nath, A.M., Dey, C., Mondal, A., Saha, N.M. (2018) Ecological Assessment of Hooghly - Bhagirathi River System through the Study of Diversity of Bivalves and Gastropods in Relation to Physico-Chemical Parameters. Int. Jour. Curr. Microbiol. App. Sci, v.7(7), pp.2700–2715.
Mason, I.L. (1939) Studies on the Fauna of an Algerian Hot Spring. Jour. Experimental Biology, v.16, pp.487–498. McConnaughey, T.A., Gillikin, D.P. (2008) Carbon isotopes in mollusk shell carbonates. Geo–Marine Lett., v.28, pp.287–299.
Mishra, A.P., and Singh, R. (2019). Physico-chemical characteristics of Asan wetland with reference to Avian and Molluscan diversity, Doon Valley (Uttarakhand), India. Internat. Res. Jour. Environ. Sci., v.8, pp.1-11.
Nautiyal and Mishra, (2014) Large scale distributional patterns of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna in the Himalayan streams. Environment and Biodiversity, pp.181–187.
Nautiyal, P., Mishra, A.S., Semwal, V.P. (2015) Spatial Distribution of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Fauna in Mountain Streams of Uttarakhand, India. Aquatic Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation, pp.31-51.
Pemola Devi, N., Singh, S., Jauhari, R.K. (2015) Biotic and abiotic components associated with freshwater snails at Gularghati in Doon valley, Uttarakhand. Flora and Fauna, v.21, pp.219-224.
Ramkrishna and Dey, A. (2007) Handbook on Indian Freshwater Molluscs. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.
Shanahan, T.M., Piggati, J.S., Dettman, D.L., Quade, J. (2005) Isotopic variability in the aragonite shells of freshwater gastropods living in springs with nearly constant temperature and isotopic composition. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, pp.3949–3966.
Shejwal, P., Wagh, D., Patil, M. (2016) Shell length study for a prediction of morphometric traits in freshwater snail Lymnaea acuminate. Jour. Entomology and Zoology, v.4, v.252–255.
Singh, V., Jhaldiyal, V., Dasgupta, S., Chauhan, D.S., Todaria, N.P. (2013) Comparative Study of Vegetation Status and Species Richness around Alakananda and Bhagirathi Valley under Kotli – Bhel Hydroelectric Power Projects (IA and IB), Uttarakhand, India. Global Jour. Sci. Frontier Res. Environ. Earth Sci., v.13.
Singh N., and Sharma R.C. (2014) Some important attributes which regulate the life of macro-invertebrates: a review. Internat. Jour. Recent Scientific Res., v.5, pp.357–361.
Sinha, A., Hariharan, H, Adhikari, B., Krishnamurthy, R., (2019) Bird diversity along riverine areas in the Bhagirathi Valley, Uttarakhand, India. Biodiversity Data Jour., v.7.
Subba Rao. (1989) Handbook: Freshwater Molluscs of India. Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta.
Tiwari, S.K. (2014) Isotopic and geochemical studies of geothermal springs of North West Himalayas, India: implication for source and degassing of metaphoric CO2. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Url: http://hdl.handle.net/10603/183102.
Tiwari, S.K., Gupta, A.K., Asthana, A.K.L. (2020) Evaluating CO2 flux and recharge source in geothermal springs, Garhwal Himalaya, India: stable isotope systematics and geochemical proxies. Environ. Sci. Pollution Res., v.27, pp.14818–14835.
Von Oheimb, P.V., Landler, L., Von Oheimb K.C.M. (2016) Cold snails in hot springs: observations from Patagonia and the Tibetan plateau. Malacologia, v.59, pp.313-320.
Yanes, Y., Romaneck, C.S., Delgado, A., Brunt, A.H., Noakes, E.J., Alonso, M.R. and Ibanez, M. (2009) Oxygen and carbon stable isotopes of modern land snail shells as environmental indicators from a low-latitude oceanic island. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, v.73, pp.4077–4099.
