Control and conservation of endemic species in the UK and Hawaii

入侵的蜗牛和蛞蝓造成了世界范围内的问题，无论是对作物的直接损害，还是作为农场动物疾病的中间媒介。然而，蜗牛和蛞蝓很难识别，我们也不知道是什么影响了它们的分布，这阻碍了适当的控制和保护工作。在英国，关于这些物种（陆生和水生）及其作为疾病媒介的潜力的现代分子系统发育知识相对有限。在夏威夷，我们最近描述了一种水生林奈蜗牛，它神秘地在群岛上定居。这种蜗牛正在危及当地特有物种，并可能作为肝吸虫寄生虫的中间媒介。因此，该项目的目的是研究入侵的过程，使用英国和夏威夷的代表性物种（与Bishop博物馆，夏威夷和霍华德大学的合作者）来了解这些蜗牛及其寄生虫的进化，并包括可能有助于改进入侵物种和保护物种的识别方法。虽然大部分工作将以实验室为基础，并附带生物信息学元素，但实地收集将是必要的组成部分

Invasive snails and slugs are causing worldwide problems, both in terms of direct damage to crops, and as intermediate vectors for diseases of farm animals. Yet, snails and slugs are difficult to identify and we have little idea of what influences their distributions, hindering appropriate control and conservation efforts. In the UK, modern molecular phylogenetic knowledge of these species - terrestrial and aquatic - and their potential as vectors of disease is relatively limited. In Hawaii, we have recently characterised an aquatic Lymnaeaid snail that has cryptically colonised the archipelago. This snail is endangering the local endemic species, and potentially acts as an intermediate vector for the liver fluke parasite. The aim of this project, therefore, will be to study the process of invasion, using representative species in the UK and Hawaii (with collaborators in the Bishop Museum, Hawaii and Howard University) to understand the evolution of these snails and their parasites, and including methods that may help refine the identification of the invasive species and species of conservation concern. Although much of the work will be lab-based, with a concomitant bioinformatics element, field collection will be a necessary component