REVSYS: A revision of New World Ampullariidae: an emerging model system in evolutionary biology and systematics training

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The ability to assess the severity of the biodiversity crisis hinges on addressing the taxonomic impediment -- the serious lack of experts able to identify and classify organisms. This impediment is felt most seriously in the largest groups of animals on earth, the invertebrates, and in particular the mollusks. The primary goal of the project is to assess the diversity and identities of freshwater snails in the family Ampullariidae (apple snails). More than 250 species have been described in this major group of snails, but how many of these are real species, as well as their true identities, is unknown. Knowledge of their diversity and distributions is thus extremely confused and studies of their ecology, behavior, pest status and control are confounded. The project will resolve this confusion by studying the snails' shells, internal anatomy, DNA sequences and behavior. These snails are important components of many ecosystems. One species of apple snail native to the United States is the key food item of the endangered Everglades kite, but introduced invasive apple snails are potentially serious pests in both natural and wetland agricultural (e.g., rice) ecosystems, as well as being potential vectors of parasites that cause disease in humans and animals. Introduced widely in south-east Asia, they have also become the number one pest of rice. Understanding the identities, relationships and origins of these invasive species is thus of great importance. However, the lack of taxonomic expertise in such groups of snails is a serious problem globally, and so a major focus of the project is training of young scientists both in the United States and in South America in order to build this needed expertise, while also providing tools to assist others such as agricultural and customs inspection officials to correctly identify these species.