Pollard E
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambs, England.
Oecologia. 1975 Mar;21(1):85-92. doi: 10.1007/BF00345895.
Large differences were found in the thickness of shells of Helix pomatia L. from different localities in Southern England. Snails from two populations showing such differences were raised from the egg stage under controlled conditions in the laboratory. Significant differences in shell thickness occurred and this suggests that those observed in the field are, at least in part, genetic. The ecological significance of shell thickness is discussed. Thicker shells were found to be associated with areas of low rainfall where breeding success is likely to be poor. It is suggested that thicker shells may result in longer life of individuals and enable them to survive a series of poor breeding seasons.
在英格兰南部不同地点的苹果蜗牛（Helix pomatia L.）壳的厚度上发现了很大差异。从两个显示出这种差异的种群中采集的蜗牛卵在实验室可控条件下孵化。壳厚度出现了显著差异，这表明在野外观察到的差异至少部分是由基因决定的。文中讨论了壳厚度的生态意义。发现较厚的壳与低降雨量地区有关，在这些地区繁殖成功率可能较低。有人提出，较厚的壳可能会使个体寿命更长，并使它们能够在一系列繁殖不佳的季节中存活下来。
