Control of invasive apple snails and their use as pollutant ecotoxic indicators: a review

Abstract

Apple snails are one of the most survived fresh water invasive species that causes massive economic loss to vegetations, especially to the rice fields. They survive against many environmental stressors and are considered as a major pest in water-lodged cultivated area due to their intrusiveness, adaptation mechanisms and survivability. Therefore, there is a need for strategies to control their population. Snails can also be used as pollution bioindicators. Here we review apple snails for their ecotoxic management without compromising environment and co-inhabitants, and their use as semi-sessile invasive ecotoxic marker species. Snails have been found to accumulate 0.19–0.21% biphenyl ethers, 1.65% copper sulphate with 26.7% morality, 1.53–29.7% ivermectin, 43% polybrominated biphenyl ethers, 59% triphenylphosphine oxide, 8–100% of various heavy metals and nanoparticles. Feed intake of apple snails can be enhanced up to 22% with copper supplements, while 17 and 100% mortality can be achieved with niclosamide monohydrate (0.13 mg/L) and tea seed derivatives (0.015 g/L) exposure, respectively. Snails respond to stress factors with up to 29.6% higher lipid peroxides and 1.06% protein carbonyls, along with up to 80, 240 and 127% higher activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes, respectively, after cypermethrin exposure. Oppositely, mercury (2–8 mg/L) and aldicarb can reduce their oxygen consumption and acetylcholinesterase activity of up to 88.1 and 96.08%, respectively.