Abstract
This experiment was carried out to obtain some information about overwintering, physiological and ecological characteristics of apple snails. Another purpose of this experiment was to characterize an appetite for rice plants by apple snails and to elucidate their choice of fresh green ones (vegetables, some other crops, weeds in rice fields). The freshwater snails were found with higher population at sites abundant organic compounds such as plant debris and at regions with high temperature. They also prefer calcium-rich water. This is a naturally occurring process. Apple snails were exceptionally veil-adapted to the south regions of Korea, especially Janghang, Jangseong and Haenam, even if the temperature of winter season is cold below 0$^{\circ}C$. Apple snails were not very selective in their food choice and eat almost everything available in their environment. A snail have something called a radula in its mouth for grinding up its food. A apple snail also chews on fruits and young succulent plant barks. In case of reproduction. apple snails deposit about 157$\sim$784 (average of 321 eggs) milky white to pale orange colored eggs above the waterline. In approximately every 22.4 seconds a new egg appears. The total time needed to deposit a egg mass varies from 58 minutes$\sim$4 hours 13 minutes. Apple snails reproduct actively from May to June and from September to October. An appetite of apple snails for rice plants was the different depending on their size and glowing stage for rice plants. Apple snails had a great appetite of rice plants as well as dropwort, tomato, cabbage, radish, aquatic plants etc. They preferred to eat young rice plants and drastically quit eating rice plants of over 40 cm in height. Thus considering the food preference of apple snail for various plants including rice, they were thought to be a potentially strong predator in fields, especially, at regions with warmer winter.
왕우렁이가 자연상태에 전파되어 서식되는 경로는 양식장의 배수시, 총수로 인한 노지 양식장 붕괴 및 제초용 왕우렁이 입식에 의하여 이루어지고 있다. 왕우렁이의 생리적 특성을 보면 알 크기는 2.47 mm, 난괴크기는 $1.8\times4.3\times0.94$ cm, 알무게 12.78 mg, 산란수157$\sim$784개/1마리 (평균 321개/마리) 유체크기 1.69$\sim$2.15 mm, 유체 무게 3.32 mg, 최저 산란 왕우렁이 크기 2.40$\sim$2.26 cm 이상, 1개알 산란소요시간 22.4초 였다. 알의 색변화는 산란직후 우유빛의 연분홍에서 중기에는 선홍색, 부화직전 에는 흐린 연보라색으로 변화하면서 부화된다. 왕우렁이 섭식 대상은 벼, 논잡초, 미나리, 토마토, (양)배추, 무, 호박, 콩잎 등 대부분 농작물을 포함한 식물체 및 동족의 왕우렁이 등 수중동물이었다. 왕우렁이 월동지역은 장항, 장성 및 해남지역으로 양지녘의 식물체 줄기나 벼 그루터기에 산란된 알과 성체 상태로 저수지나 논의 물웅덩이에서 월동고, 5월 중순이후 수로의 벽이나 식물체 줄기에 산란하며 6월과 9월에 번식이 가장 왕성하였다. 서식지 수질특성은 변이 폭이 컸으나 pH가 7.07$\sim$9.50 범위로 알칼리성에서 주로 번성하였다. 왕우렁이에 한 벼 가해 양상중 벼 발아초미에는 왕우렁이 크기에 관계없이 모두 벼싹을 가해하였고, 벼품종과 생육시기에 따라 차이가 있으며 어린묘 일수록 가해율이 높았으며, 이앙후 45일 벼 (초장 약 73 cm)도 각고 3.3$\sim$3.5 cm 이상의 중형 왕우렁이는 가해하였다.
