Open AccessEFFECTS OF POPULATION DENSITY ON THE GROWTH AND EGG-LAYING CAPACITY OF THE AFRICAN GIANT LAND SNAIL Archachatina marginata (Swainson) RAISED IN CAPTIVITY
Author(s) -
Yemi AkegbejoSamsons,
O. A. Akinnusi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nigerian journal of animal production
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0331-2062
DOI - 10.51791/njap.v27i.1979
Subject(s) - hatchling , biology , land snail , zoology , population , snail , population density , captivity , cage , ecology , hatching , mathematics , demography , sociology , combinatorics
The effects of the population density of adult African, giant land snail, Archachatina marginata on the egg-laying capacity and the growth of the brooders and hatchlings were investigated for 9 months. Ten culture pens were stocked with snails at 20%, 40%, 50%, 80% and 100% capacity with each group in 2 replicates. Average weight gain of brooders was highest in pens stocked at 40% population density while the lowest was in pen stocked at 100%. Average number of eggs laid per snail and average number of eggs per pen followed the same trend in the study. The highest average number of eggs laid per pen was obtained in pens stocked at 60% population density (586) while the least was from pens at 20% population density. The result was the same for the average number of eggs laid per snail i.e. 7.5 eggs in pens stocked at 60% and 4.1 eggs in pens stocked at 20%. There was no significant difference in the weights of hatchlings in the different pens.