Life Sciences Commons^™

Molluscan Models In Evolutionary Biology: Apple Snails (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae) As A System For Addressing Fundamental Questions, Kenneth Hayes

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Molluscs constitute the second largest phylum in terms of the number of described species and possess a wide array of characteristics and adaptations for living in marine, terrestrial, and freshwater habitats. They are morphologically diverse and appear in the fossil record as far back as the early Cambrian (-560 mybp). Despite their high diversity and long evolutionary history, molluscs are often underused as models for the study of general aspects of evolutionary biology. Freshwater snails in the family Ampullariidae have a global tropical and subtropical distribution and high diversity with more than 150 species in nine currently recognized genera, making …