Behavior in invasive New Zealand mud snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) is related to source population

Behavior can be an important determinant of invasion success. In the New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum), behavior is influential in predator avoidance and probably plays a role in dispersal. The present study investigated differences in behavior among populations of different asexual clones of this species and compared introduced populations characterized by various levels of invasiveness and New Zealand native clonal populations with respect to rheotactic, geotactic, photokinetic, and dispersal behaviors. There was a significant difference in behavior among populations in all behaviors evaluated. A population of a widespread clone (US1) behaved most differently from the other populations exhibiting differences in all behaviors including a greater propensity to disperse. These results indicate that there is a population and possibly a genotypic effect on behaviors in this freshwater snail, and this variation may help to explain why some clones are more invasive than others.