26 March 1999
Ancient Snail Wars Reported On-Line
by P. Willis
Reprinted from News in Science

A three million year war between snails and their prey has been described by two American palaeontologists.

The research paper detailing this epic battle have been published on-line.

Peter Roopnarine and Amy Beussink studied fossil snails and other shellfish from Florida. The snails preyed upon the shellfish by drilling holes through the shells and attacking the soft animal inside. Both the shells with bored holes and snails are preserved as fossils.

According to the Theory of Escalation, more commonly known as the Biological Arms Race, one of the main factors in evolution is the presence of biological enemies. Prey develop better defences while predators develop better ways of attacking prey.

Roopnarine and Beussink looked at what happens to the relationship between hunters and the hunted when the prey species is replaced by a similar but subtly different relative. Different species of snail are very specific about the size of their quarry, as well as the drilling location on the shell.

Roopnarine and Beussink found that shellfish responded to the snail's onslaught by evolving thicker shells, which were harder for the snails to penetrate. Further, when the shellfish was replaced by another species, predatory snail species responded initially by selecting smaller prey. As time progressed the snails were able to attack larger individuals of the new prey species.

As part of a growing trend in many sciences, Roopnarine and Beussink published their results on-line in a dedicated electronic journal, Palaeontologica Electronica.

Traditionally, research papers have been published in printed journals but developments in on-line technology have allowed several experiments in web-publishing of scientific journals. Like their traditional, printed ancestors, articles in electronic journals are peer reviewed and must meet prescribed editorial standards and formats.

The advantages of electronic publication include a quicker turn around time from writing to publication, simultaneous publication in several languages at reduced cost and a wider distribution. After reading this story, you can click here and read the original scientific publication!

P.Willis, the Lab